Enjoyment: At the Heart of Media Entertainment

Abstract

This article suggests an integrated view of media entertainment that is capable of covering more of the dimensional complexity and dynamics of entertainment experiences than existing theories do. Based on a description of what is meant by complexity and dynamics, the authors outline a conceptual model that is centered around enjoyment as the core of entertainment, and that addresses prerequisites of enjoyment which have to be met by the individual media user and by the given media product. The theoretical foundation is used to explain why people display strong preferences for being entertained (motivational perspective) and what kind of consequences entertaining media consumption may have (effects perspective, e.g., facilitation of learning processes).

Being enjoyably challenged is the key to an enjoyable gaming experience: an experimental approach in a first-person shooter game

“…Fang et al [9] seek to define and measure enjoyment during a game, while Lin et al [10] or Klimmt et al [11], Klimmt et al [12], and Klimmt et al [13] study the conditions of its occurrence (see [14] for a review of quantitative studies on enjoyment in video games). Vorderer et al [15] endeavor to define a theoretical framework of enjoyment for games.…”

Emotional Gratification in Entertainment Experience. Why Viewers of Movies and Television Series Find it Rewarding to Experience Emotions

“…The first type of entertainment gratification that is based on affect regulation is relatively well researched (for overviews, see Knobloch-Westerwick, 2006;Oliver, 2009;Vorderer, Klimmt, & Ritterfeld, 2004), whereas evidence concerning the role of emotional entertainment experiences in the gratification of social and cognitive needs has only recently begun to emerge in a consistent manner (cf., Cupchik, 2011;Oliver & Bartsch, 2010;Oliver & Raney, 2011;Reinecke, Tamborini, Grizzard, Lewis, Eden, & Bowman, in press;Tamborini et al, 2010;Vorderer & Ritterfeld, 2009). The present research aims to advance this line of inquiry by providing a systematic assessment of gratifications that can be directly or indirectly associated with the experience of emotions in media use, and by analyzing how different kinds of emotions can contribute to different types of entertainment gratification.…”

Enjoyment of arousing television news: The role of age and sensation seeking

“…Hence, enjoyment is considered by many scholars to be a central concept in explaining mass media entertainment (cf. Nabi and Kcrmar, 2004;Vorderer, Klimmt, and Brought to you by | Radboud University Nijmegen Authenticated Download Date | 2/1/15 10:32 AM Kleemans, Hendriks Vettehen, Eisinga and Beentjes Ritterfeld, 2004). Nabi and Krcmar (2004, p. 296) consider enjoyment as an attitude that may be based on affective, cognitive, and behavioral assessments; and that may involve message-related and experience-related aspects of, for instance, particular elements within a program.…”