Return

• Refusal of the return. Life in the new world is so pleasant and carefree that the hero doesn’t see any reason to go home.

• The magic flight. The hero can’t stay and have the boon. This is the exciting escape with it.

• Rescue from without. The hero still doesn’t want to return, is prevented from returning, or is too weak to return. Powerful friends or allies help it happen.

• The crossing of the return threshold. The hero returns to their old world and old life. How will they reconcile the old and the new? How will they apply their newfound wisdom?

• Master of the two worlds. The hero achieves a serene or transcendental balance between the old, material world and the new, spiritual one. They accept their destiny.

• Freedom to live. Due to their mastery, the hero no longer fears death; they can live for the moment, unconcerned with whatever the past has held and whatever the future holds. It’s the journey that’s important, not the destination.

In the context of virtual worlds, the hero’s journey is normally discussed in terms of its relevance (or lack thereof) to story arcs. That’s not how I shall be applying it here.

The hero’s adventurous journey betokens a journey to find the self. It’s the same journey that players of virtual worlds undertake. They play to have fun, but they gain much more than that: They develop as people.

Let’s take a look at the steps as they apply to virtual worlds.