Scenting Entertainment: Virtual Reality Storytelling, Theme Park Rides, Gambling, and Video-Gaming

Abstract

There has long been interest in both the tonic and phasic release of scent across a wide range of entertainment settings. While the presentation of semantically congruent scent has often been used in order to enhance people’s immersion in a particular context, other generally less successful attempts have involved the pulsed presentation of a range of scents tied to specific events/scenes. Scents have even been released in the context of the casino to encourage the guests to linger for longer (and spend more), at least according to the results of one controversial study. In this narrative review, I want to take a closer look at the use of scent in a range of both physical and digital environments, highlighting the successes (as in the case of scented theme park rides) and frequent failures (as, seemingly, in the context of scent-enabled video games). While digitally inducing meaningful olfactory sensations is likely to remain a pipe dream for the foreseeable future, the digital control of scent release/delivery provides some limited opportunities to enhance the multisensory experience of entertainment. That said, it remains uncertain whether the general public will necessarily perceive the benefit, and hence be willing to pay for the privilege.

Narrative historical review of scratch-and-sniff books and their key storytelling features

“…Studies involving the incorporation of olfaction into virtual reality suggest that only bad smells (as opposed to neutral or pleasant scents) are capable of enhancing the sense of immersion ( Spence, 2021c ). These findings are echoed in anecdotal reports concerning the use of scent in installations, such as the Jorvik Viking Museum ( Spence, 2020c ), and in the cinema, where malodourous scents seem to elicit the comments ( Spence, 2020a ).…”

Measuring Online Sensory Consumer Experience: Introducing the Online Sensory Marketing Index (OSMI) as a Structural Modeling Approach

“…The content optimization previously shown by the evaluation model and its potential for multisensory consumer appeal will be further strengthened by specialized additional products or features called "sensory enabling technologies" (SET). SETs include virtual/augmented reality tools such as 3D glasses or odor stimulation gadgets [94]. However, as implied previously, creating a suitable evaluation tool that summarizes the criteria for the sensory design of e-commerce websites is highly relevant.…”

On the use of ambient odours to influence the multisensory experience of dining

“…Scents have also sometimes been used in order to try and modify the diner's mood (see Spence, 2020e, for a review; see also Ouyang et al, 2018). Scent is also increasingly being used in the context of storytelling (see Spence, 2021c, for a review), and as but one element of multisensory experiential dining (cf. Pine & Gilmore, 1998, 1999.…”

“…In recent years, both modernist chefs (Spence & Youssef, 2018) and mainstream food marketers have become increasingly interested in the putative influence of ambient olfactory stimuli on people's mood, perception, and behaviour (e.g., Guéguen & Petr, 2006;Nassauer, 2014;Spence & Youssef, 2015; see also De Wijk & Zijlstra, 2012). There has long been interest in the role of ambient olfactory cues in the context of arts and entertainment, including in venues such as art galleries and museums (see Spence, 2020c, for a review), cinemas (see Spence, 2020b, for a review), a variety of live performance settings (see Spence, 2021b, for a review), as well as music events (see Spence, 2021a, for a review), theme park rides (see Spence, 2021c, for a review), and even as a component of architecture/interior design (see Spence, 2020d, for a review). However, what distinguishes the gastronomic setting from all of these other contexts is the central role of aroma/flavour to the experience in the former case.…”