This book explores the psychology of good stories and their characters. It answers questions such as: Why do some films move us to tears while others leave us indifferent? Why do some novels captivate us so much that we read late into the night? Why do we struggle through certain required readings? Why do we play some adventure games until the last level, while we quickly lose interest in others? The work is intended for anyone involved in the creation and evaluation of narratives. Both character and game designers can benefit from new archetypal models, and psychologists can develop innovative therapeutic methods using the presented dodecacyclic hero's journey. Novelists and screenwriters receive a blueprint for promising stories that can also be applied to interactive formats.