Mythological structures in video games: archetypes

The relevance of studying mythological structures in video games is due, on one hand, for the development of game studies, on the other hand, for the process of modern culture digitalization, in which myth acquires special significance explained by the blurring of real and virtual boundaries. We understand myth as a significant cultural reality associated with an existential human need for understanding and structuring reality, shaping a picture of the world and determining a person's place in it, constructing identity, social order and value-semantic foundations of one's own existence. A modern person exists under the influence of many dissimilar mythological constructs. Today, media mythologize reality, fix key media images in the minds of the audience, reproduce mythologemes and archetypes. Video games as interactive media are more capable than old media to immerse a person into the space of myth. We explore video games as a form of modern mythology. The purpose of this article is to study such universal mythological structures as archetypes and how they are represented in video games (using games in fantasy, action and adventure genres as an example). In the process of research, we rely on the archetypes proposed by C. Vogler: hero, mentor, threshold guardian, herald, shapeshifter, shadow, trickster, ally, since most of the images encountered in the hero's journey belong to these archetypes. The main results of the research: it was revealed that, firstly, the hero's archetype is the foundation of any plot-oriented video game; secondly, monomyth in video games is reduced: the initial and final stages of monomyth are usually omitted; thirdly, the image of the hero in video games has similar characteristics with the image of the mythological hero; fourthly, all archetypes are represented in the video games studied, and the archetype of the threshold guardian, the ally, and the shadow are the most common of them. We have concluded that the archetypes as archaic mythological structures and universals of the collective unconscious are fully represented and function in the figurative system of video games. This confirms that archaic mythological semantics does not disappear; myth and archetypes continue to be present and function in modern culture, covered with new clothes of interactive media. Despite the fact that video games feature fictional virtual worlds, they are fully capable of providing cathartic experiences to players. Moreover, it is video games where a player becomes not only an observer, but also a performer of a hero's journey, which leads to spiritual transformation.

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