From Zero to Hero: How RPGs Let Us Speedrun the Hero’s Journey
Have you ever booted up an RPG, created your character, and within hours found yourself wielding legendary weapons, battling ancient evils, and saving entire kingdoms? In the real world, the path to self-discovery and greatness takes decades—but in an RPG, you can experience the entire Hero’s Journey in a weekend.
Joseph Campbell’s famous Hero’s Journey describes the universal path of growth and transformation that heroes take across myths and stories. It turns out, RPGs are one of the best ways to experience this cycle in an accelerated, immersive way. And the best part? This rapid-fire storytelling can actually help make our minds more flexible and adaptable in real life.
The Call to Adventure: Press Start to Begin
Every RPG starts with the Call to Adventure. Whether it’s the courier delivering the fateful letter in Skyrim, waking up in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Fallout, or receiving your first Pokémon from Professor Oak, the journey kicks off with a disruption of the ordinary world.
In real life, change is scary. But in a game? It’s exhilarating. RPGs train us to embrace the unknown and dive into challenges, reinforcing the idea that stepping outside our comfort zone can lead to epic rewards.
The Road of Trials: Leveling Up Through Struggle
Once you accept the quest, the road is rarely smooth. The enemies are too strong, you don’t have the right gear, and sometimes, you just get wrecked by an unexpected boss (looking at you, Margit from Elden Ring).
But unlike real life, where failure can feel like a stop sign, games teach us that failure is just part of leveling up. Dying in Dark Souls isn’t the end—it’s a lesson. Games condition us to try again, to rework our strategies, and to develop resilience.
The Transformation: Becoming the Hero
At some point in an RPG, you realize you’ve changed. Maybe you started as a nobody fresh out of Vault 101, but now you’re the Lone Wanderer shaping the fate of the Wasteland. You went from a clueless farmhand in Fable to a legendary warrior. The choices you made, the battles you fought, and the lessons you learned have turned you into something greater.
This transformation mirrors real-world personal growth. The difference? RPGs let us experience this entire arc in hours or days, reinforcing the idea that we can change, grow, and evolve in meaningful ways—if we put in the effort.
The Return: Taking the XP Back to Reality
The final stage of the Hero’s Journey is returning home, changed by the adventure. While you don’t always “return” in an RPG (sometimes you just New Game+ it instead), the lessons learned can stick with you.
Playing RPGs rewires our thinking. We start recognizing that challenges aren’t roadblocks—they’re quests. We learn that we’re capable of growth, adaptation, and reinvention. And most importantly, we develop a mindset that sees possibilities rather than limitations.
So, the next time you load up an RPG, remember: you’re not just grinding for XP in-game—you’re training your mind for real life. Now, go forth, hero. Your next quest awaits.