Lesson 2 of 10
In Progress

The Three-Act Structure & The Monomyth

Matthew Colon October 3, 2020
  1. The Three-Act Structure is said to appear in almost all successful story-based media. Think about a story-based game you’ve played; how does it make use of the Three-Act Structure in regards to the Acts, the Inciting Incident, and the Plot Points? Here are their descriptions from “The Structure Applied” section of chapter 2:
    1. Act I: We meet our hero, eking out a livable but humdrum existence
      1. Inciting Incident: Hero becomes aware of the main conflict, or its implied existence
      2. Plot Point 1: Hero commits to resolving the main conflict
    2. Act II: Hero overcomes increasingly challenging obstacles in his quest to resolve the conflict
      1. Plot Point 2: Hero has epiphany, sees the path to success
    3. Act III: Hero resolves the conflict; rewards and punishments are doled out
  2. How are you currently using the Three-Act Structure in your project, or what can you do to help align your project with the Three-Act Structure?
  3. The Monomyth is composed of archetypes and story structure. Think about a story-based game you’ve played; what archetypes and story structures does the player encounter in that story? For reference:
    1. Archetypes
      1. Hero: The protagonist
      2. Herald: Announces the main conflict to the Hero
      3. Mentor: A teacher and adviser
      4. Threshold Guardian/Henchman: Blocks the Hero’s progress
      5. Trickster: Provides comic relief
      6. Shapeshifter: Brings doubt and suspicion
      7. Villain: The instigator behind the main conflict
    2. Story Structure
      1. The Ordinary World: The Hero’s original environment
      2. The Call to Adventure: The Herald announces the main conflict to the Hero
      3. Refusal of the Call: The Hero initially refuses to take on the quest
      4. Meeting with the Mentor: The Hero meets the Mentor and receives encouragement and sometimes gifts
      5. Crossing the First Threshold: The Hero commits to take on the quest and enters the Special World
      6. Tests, Allies, Enemies: The Hero encounters increasingly challenging tests and makes new friends and enemies
      7. Approach to the Inmost Cave: The Hero reaches the site where a major or main conflict will be resolved
      8. The Supreme Ordeal: The Hero does everything to directly resolve the conflict
      9. Reward: The Hero acquires what she set out to do
      10. The Road Back: The Hero must escape the enemy and return to the Normal World with his Reward
      11. Resurrection: The Hero or her quest is seemingly dead, but somehow gets one final chance to resolve the conflict
      12. Return with the Elixir: The Hero returns to the Ordinary World and rewards and punishments are doled out to the appropriate characters
  4. How are you currently using the Monomyth elements in your project, or what can you do to help incorporate elements from the Monomyth?