Search

This study investigated the effect of humor in religious stories on a child's ability to remember, understand, and paraphrase content, as well as on enjoyment. Ages of the children were also considered. Participants watched one of two videos teaching the story of Saul's conversion found in Acts 9:1-22. Although inclusion of humor did not have a significant impact, there was a significant effect of age on remembering, understanding, and paraphrasing. Previous exposure to the story increased overall scores, which suggests that repetition is key to a successful learning experience.

This study investigates whether parasocial interactions (PSIs) vary in strength depending on whether a character is created entirely through computer-generated imagery (CG), a hybrid character enhanced by CGI, or real, portrayed by a real human actor. One-hundred and forty-four participants watched a randomly selected film narrative from the three conditions, and strength of PSIs was measured. Results indicate that PSIs formed with hybrid CGI characters are just as strong as those formed with non-CGI characters. Audience members formed stronger PSIs with both natural and hybrid characters than they did with all-CGI characters. This finding suggests that movie viewers relate to characters enhanced by CGI just as effectively as they relate to entirely human characters. All-CGI characters may not be as relatable, but this may be due to the types of characters, typically non-humans, that are usually created entirely with CGI rather than failings of the technology itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Just as theorists predicted, developments in sports spectatorship technology have changed the way we think about and enjoy sports. Each year, eSports amasses a larger following. Though its existence traces back to the early 1980s, competitive gaming has emerged recently as a superpower that is seemingly impossible to ignore. But why do hundreds of thousands of people gather at their computers, or at sold-out arenas to watch players compete at video games? In this study, eSports are analyzed through the lens of the disposition theory of sports spectatorship. The results indicate that the enjoyment of watching eSports competitions operates similarly to that of traditional sports spectatorship. Familiarity with the teams and the sport or game being viewed seems to be an important factor in how eSports are enjoyed, and evidence suggests that watching eSports engenders the same or similar reactions as does watching traditional sports. This study aims to pave the way for future, more robust research on eSports spectatorship and why people enjoy watching other people play video games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested a model of enjoyment of video games focused on three important predictors; interactivity, realism and spatial presence. In a large, randomized experiment (N = 257), players of traditional console games were compared with their counterparts playing on mobile devices. The hypothesized model included perceived interactivity, perceived reality and spatial presence, with enjoyment as the outcome variable. In the final analysis, the model showed that console games produced higher perceived interactivity and perceived reality. Perceived reality and skill were the most powerful direct predictors of enjoyment. Perceived reality and perceived interactivity indirectly predicted enjoyment via powerful effects on spatial presence. The results suggest that mobile games are highly enjoyable, realistic, and presence-inducing, but console games still exceed them on these variables. The results highlight the importance of studying enjoyment of video games in the context of a model that considers concurrent effects of several game perception variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]