Transformation of the Hero’s Journey in Digital Game Narratives
Öz
Although not originally intended as a design manual, Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) has been adopted by the industry as the standard blueprint for digital game stories. However, some scholars have questioned whether this model is truly universal, arguing that it contains inherent gender and cultural biases. This study investigates how the classic model has changed in three major games released between 2013 and 2020, examining these shifts through three critical lenses: Feminist, Post-colonial, and Queer theory. The study uses a qualitative method, combining a review of 19 key academic texts with textual analysis of three selected video game case studies. The findings reveal three types of transformation: reconfiguration (feminist critique), deconstruction (post-colonial critique), and adaptation (queer critique). Through case studies of the games God of War (2018), Ghost of Tsushima (2020), and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), this paper argues that the Hero’s Journey has not been abandoned but it’s undergoing profound structural transformation. The classical Monomyth is inherently rigid and insufficient for contemporary storytelling. Consequently, modern games no longer apply it as a strict rulebook; instead, they actively subvert, deconstruct, and adapt this traditional framework to construct more inclusive and culturally complex narratives.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Kaynakça
- Azli, Y. S. B. M. (2022). Playing heroines: A ludonarratological analysis of the hero's journey in selected Final Fantasy games [Master's thesis, Universiti Malaya]. Universiti Malaya Students Repository.
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- Brown, J. M. (2021). Adaptation of Japanese myth in video games: The case of Ghost of Tsushima [Master's thesis, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University].
- Campbell, J. (1949). The hero with a thousand faces. Pantheon Books.
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- Cirilla, A. G. (2020). Introduction: Zelda, mythopoeia, and the importance of developing an "inside" perspective on videogames. In A. G. Cirilla & V. E. Rone (Eds.), Mythopoeic narrative in the Legend of Zelda (pp. 1–13). Routledge.
Ayrıntılar
Birincil Dil
İngilizce
Konular
İletişim ve Medya Çalışmaları (Diğer)
Bölüm
Araştırma Makalesi
Yayımlanma Tarihi
31 Ekim 2026
Gönderilme Tarihi
4 Mayıs 2026
Kabul Tarihi
18 Ekim 2026
Yayımlandığı Sayı
Yıl 2026 Cilt: 11 Sayı: 22