Choosing and enjoying violence in narratives

Abstract

We use an interactive story design in which participants read short stories and make two consecutive plot choices about whether protagonists commit low- or high-violence actions. Our study has four main findings. 1) People who choose high violence report greater satisfaction with the story, while those switching to or staying with no violence show lower satisfaction. 2) However, when participants encounter these stories without choices, they reliably rate higher-violence stories as less satisfying than lower-violence stories. 3) Regret seems to account for the low satisfaction of those who choose or switch to low violence. 4) There is a large segment of people (up to 66%) who can be persuaded by different story contexts (genre, perspective) to choose extreme violence in interactive fiction and as a consequence of their choice feel satisfaction. We hypothesize that people who opt for high violence enjoy the story as a result of their choice. Overall, we suggest that choosing violence serves as a gateway for enjoyment by creating an aesthetic zone of control detached from morality.

Sport consumers: perceiving and enjoying danger in American football

“…Research from a number of disciplines has found that aspects of violence can enhance enjoyment in leisure activities. For example, in research using an interactive text-based narrative story design, individuals were offered a plot choice regarding the protagonists and whether they commit low- or high-violence acts (Lagrange et al ., 2019). Findings show that people choosing high-violence actions in their self-selected story progression report greater satisfaction with the story.…”

“…Findings show that people choosing high-violence actions in their self-selected story progression report greater satisfaction with the story. The researchers argue that choosing violence allows enjoyment by “creating an aesthetic zone of control detached from morality” (Lagrange et al ., 2019, p. 1). Perhaps this is the case for fictional narratives, but what about real people put in real danger?…”

Current attitudes on digital interactive fiction and text adventure games within learning contexts: A systematic literature review

“…There are a couple of instances where studies incorporate the use of IF as instrument to examine or verify some observable phenomenon in novel ways. One study, for example, examined the relationship between participants' choices in IF to commit violent acts and their level of satisfaction with the story presented to them (Lagrange et al, 2019). York et al (2021) encountered a philosophical conundrum when applying the digital game-based language learning (DGBLL) categorizations to IF-based classroom scenarios: a) game-based: if the teacher creates the IF game as a mediating tool; b) game-enhanced: if the IF is found by the teacher online; and c) unclear: if the IF was created by the student (p. 1167).…”