Entertainment Research Articles

Beyond Aesthetics: Players, Player-Characters and Interactivity-as-Demand in Cozy Games

Cozy games are often defined by their soft visual design, ambient audio, and low risk gameplay that addresses a range of themes from casual to meaningful. Typically, they also center on simple gameplay in terms of control schema and the ability to disconnect, as a safe, relaxing play space, and with its easy exits points to quit the game. While these aspects have been discussed in both scholarly and media entertainment writing, the demands (or lack thereof) have yet to be explored from a theoretical perspective. Through the lens of interactivity-as-demand theory, this paper aims to explore the connection between the gameplay experience as it relates to cognitive, physical, social, and emotional demands and the in-game representations of the player-character. Through this analytical lens, it is possible to understand the consistency and disconnect of demands as experienced by the player compared to how they are (re)presented on screen which has potential implications related to the player’s expectations and design principles of cozy games.

Komparasi Visual Karakter Hero Video Game Mobile Legends dan Arena of Valor

Video games have become a medium of entertainment that is needed by almost everyone. One of the most popular categories of online video games today is MOBA. Mobile Legends and Arena of Valor are examples of the most played MOBA games. These two games are similar in the visual aspect of their hero characters because they are inspired by predecessor characters such as legendary figures, mythological creatures, or even inspired by categories of creatures on earth which are then combined with humans. Mobile Legends has 4 hero characters that are visually similar to Arena of Valor. This makes both games modify, add, or even change the visual elements of each hero to avoid plagiarism. The modification of these heroes makes each character have its own impression/value. Analysis of visual elements is carried out by comparing the visuals of heroes from two games that are similar using matrix system theory so that the impression/value created by each visual can be found. The results of the visual analysis of the heroes of the two games that have been compared will determine which visual character is more suited to the impression presented.

Book Review: Comedy, Cameos, and Campaign Communication: Leveraging Entertainment Media to Win Elections and Advance Policy, by Jason Turcotte

Book Review: <i>Comedy, Cameos, and Campaign Communication: Leveraging Entertainment Media to Win Elections and Advance Policy</i>, by Jason Turcotte

Understanding the behavioural intention of students for education via OTT platforms driven by social media advertisements

PurposeThe paper aims to examine students' feelings about studying through over-the-top (OTT) education and how they are influenced by social media advertisements (SMA) while browsing the Internet. The study looked into the factors influencing students' behavioural intention (BI) for OTT education, which helps meet their individual needs beyond the limits of traditional platforms.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through an online survey using a structured questionnaire from 345 students in the present study from various districts of Rajasthan in India. The collected data were analysed using the partial least square–structural equation modelling to substantiate the hypotheses and make inferences.FindingsThe study provided an inclusive model by probing the effect of four SMA features [Informativeness (INFO), Entertainment (ENT), Trust (TRU) and Reward (RWD)] on Brand Engagement (BE). It emphasises casing gaps in the literature regarding the consequence of BE on BI in the OTT market. The results highlighted a significant relationship between BE on BI. At the same time, all relationships proved significant for SMA, apart from TRU. The pioneering research jointly studies these factors in the model, predominantly in the streaming platforms, with empirical data.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ understanding, previous research lacks in focusing ENT, INFO, TRU and RWD’s relation to BE and identifying its effect on OTT education in the Indian context. Using the present study, marketers in the competitive world can better facilitate the adoption of OTT platforms, the factors impacting brand engagement for students and their views on the topic.

Changes in Customer Behavior Towards Video Advertising Post-Pandemic

Background: Video Advertising (VI) is a powerful media tool used by several companies as a marketing strategy. During COVID-19 pandemic, there was a wide adoption of digital media, particularly VI, to promote company products. However, some changes occurred post-pandemic, which influenced customer behavior. Objective: This research aimed to explore changes in customer behavior towards VI post-pandemic. The exploration focused on understanding changes in four major factors which included Sensory Appeal (SEN), Informativeness (INF), Entertainment (ENT), and Telepresence (PRE). Methods: Data were collected using snowball sampling method, resulting in 744 responses. After deleting outliers and non-shopping customer, there were 584 analyzable data. Covariance-Based Structural Equation Model (CB SEM) method facilitated by Lisrel Application was used for data analysis. Results: The result showed that significant changes have occurred in customer behavior to VI post-pandemic. Among the 13 tested hypotheses, 11 showed significant influences, while 2 did not, indicating shifts in customer behavior. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes and imparted customer with a new understanding of VI, which became a major marketing tool. These changes were due to experiences during the pandemic, which affected SEN (72%), INF (77%), ENT (76%), and PRE (70%). Further analysis showed that ENT affected Customer Trust (CT) and Actual Purchase (APU) by 20% and 27%, while PRE caused 34% and 20% respectively, indicating a decrease in customer response from VI to CT and APU. Based on these results, further exploration should build on the identified factors and investigate additional variables that had not been considered. Keywords: Post-Pandemic, COVID-19, Customer Behavior, Video Advertising

From local to global: Village YouTubers and rural creator cultures in South India

This article examines emerging rural creator cultures in South India. Specifically, it focuses on the uptake and production of YouTube videos by village creators, a relatively understudied but increasingly important phenomenon given the rapid spread of social media entertainment in rural India. Through a case study on My Village Show, a YouTube media collective, this article shows how rural cultural producers transformed into ‘media workers’, ‘creators’, and ‘influencers’. The South Indian YouTubing landscape, with a multitude of village-centric social media entertainment channels, reveals a new dynamic of cultural production in the Global South, distinguished by collective, collaborative, and formalizing creator labor practices. Drawing upon ethnographic observation and in-depth interviews with rural cultural producers, this article analyzes and conceptualizes rural creator cultures within particular socio-cultural, vernacular, and regional dynamics in India.

The potential effects of deepfakes on news media and entertainment

AbstractDeepfakes are synthetic media, such as pictures, music and videos, created with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, a technique that builds upon machine learning and multi-layered neural networks trained on large datasets. Today, anyone can create deepfakes online, without any knowledge about the underpinning technology. This fact opens up creative opportunities at the same time as it creates individual and societal challenges. Some identified challenges are fake news, bullying, defamation, media manipulation and democracy damage. The aim of this study was to analyse and discuss how deepfakes could affect entertainment, education and digital news media in positive and negative ways. The chosen research strategy was a qualitative cross-sectional study to create a snapshot of current attitudes in blogs, online discussion fora and from a selected expert panel. Firstly, blogs and internet discussion fora on deepfakes and AI were analysed inductively. Secondly, results from the previous step were used to create a question scheme for semi-structured interviews with some selected experts that have relevant knowledge in the field of AI and deepfakes. Finally, interviews answered were analysed thematically using the Technology Affordances and Constraints Theory as an analytical lens. Findings show that deepfakes at the same time have a wide variety of affordances, but also some critical constraints to consider. In the affordance part, there are the potential use of deepfakes for speculative and provoking concepts, not only as entertainment, but also to illustrate educational scenarios that are hard or impossible to capture in traditional videos, images or sound recordings. Furthermore, there are many affordances for entertainment and the creation of environments where realism is not an important condition. Some examples are video game graphics, animated film background music in games and music videos. However, the conclusion is that the findings comprise more of constraints than of affordances, where the serious negative aspect of deepfakes can lead to psychological, financial and social harm. Many images and videos in news media have already been manipulated during the last decades, but deepfakes can take this to a new and more problematic level where the overall trust might disappear. The author’s recommendation is to further increase the focus on source criticism and that discussions on which sources to trust should be an early introduced part of educational programmes.

A Survey of the Real-Time Metaverse: Challenges and Opportunities

The metaverse concept has been evolving from static, pre-rendered virtual environments to a new frontier: the real-time metaverse. This survey paper explores the emerging field of real-time metaverse technologies, which enable the continuous integration of dynamic, real-world data into immersive virtual environments. We examine the key technologies driving this evolution, including advanced sensor systems (LiDAR, radar, cameras), artificial intelligence (AI) models for data interpretation, fast data fusion algorithms, and edge computing with 5G networks for low-latency data transmission. This paper reveals how these technologies are orchestrated to achieve near-instantaneous synchronization between physical and virtual worlds, a defining characteristic that distinguishes the real-time metaverse from its traditional counterparts. The survey provides a comprehensive insight into the technical challenges and discusses solutions to realize responsive dynamic virtual environments. The potential applications and impact of real-time metaverse technologies across various fields are considered, including live entertainment, remote collaboration, dynamic simulations, and urban planning with digital twins. By synthesizing current research and identifying future directions, this survey provides a foundation for understanding and advancing the rapidly evolving landscape of real-time metaverse technologies, contributing to the growing body of knowledge on immersive digital experiences and setting the stage for further innovations in the Metaverse transformative field.

Social Media in Higher Education: A Study on Use of Social Media by New Entrants at the Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, SRI LANKA, during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The transition to online education prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on educational institutions globally, especially in developing countries. The absence of formal online learning management systems (LMS) in many of these institutions presented significant challenges. In response, many educators and higher educational institutions turned in to social media platforms and other digital tools to continue providing education and support the learning process. The present study attempts to understand social media behaviour of new entrants to the faculty of Dental Sciences of University of Peradeniya, more specifically for fulfilling their information need related to academic programs during the CORONA outbreak. The study was carried out at the Faculty of Dental Sciences during the library orientation program for new entrants. Although 117 undergraduates registered with the dental library for the academic year 2022/2023, only 112 students participated in the survey. An online questionnaire made with Google Forms was administered among the research sample.According to key findings, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Research Gate were the most popular social media platforms used by Dental Science new entrants for the purpose of academic information during the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, 65% of them had been used these online platforms as a tool of searching scientific and academic information related to their academic programs. There were some positive impacts of using social media for academic purposes. One significant benefit was that social media helped them to maintain better relationships with their peers during the CORONA pandemic, facilitating peer support and collaboration etc. However, the students have perceived some negative impacts of social media as well i.e. students found social media to be quite time-consuming. Despite the potential of educational benefits of social media, the study indicated a gap in awareness and utilization of them for academic purposes. A significant proportion of students, about 35%, were not aware of the educational potential of social media. The majority of respondents appeared to prioritize using social media for entertainment rather than accessing educational content or utilizing academic features available on these platforms. On top of these findings, it can be recommended that educational institutions and policymakers in Sri Lanka consider strategies to harness the educational potential of social media for undergraduates. By raising awareness and encouraging the use of social media for academic purposes, they could enhance the learning experience and make better use of digital tools to support education in the context of ongoing and future disruptions.

Like It or Not: Exploring the Impact of (Dis)liked Background Music on Player Behavior and Experience

Entertainment media, including video games, utilize background music (BGM) to enhance ambiance and gameplay, with a growing trend of players replacing in-game audio with personal music for potentially improved gameplay. Yet, research has not systematically investigated the connection between liked or disliked BGM and player behavior and experience. With our work, we make this step by letting users play the popular and well-researched game Tetris with BGM of their choice, and go one step further by adding music to the game that they specifically dislike, as this direction has been neglected thus far, but could prove interesting to target certain player behavior or experience. In our lab-study (N=31) we found that liked BGM increased engagement with the game and enhanced player experience, while disliked music reduced immersion. These findings suggest that music preferences should be taken into greater account in game design, e.g. by offering more options for BGM customization.

Information quality and students’ academic performance: the mediating roles of perceived usefulness, entertainment and social media usage

PurposeThis study evaluates the mediating roles of entertainment, perceived usefulness, and social media use on social information (content) and students’ academic performance.MethodologyPrimary data was collected from 445 students at King Khalid University in Saudi Arabia using the snowball sampling strategy was employed. For data analysis, structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used.FindingsEntertainment partly mediates the link between social information quality “content” (IQ) and social media use (SMU) and SMU mediates the link between IQ and student’s academic performance (SAP). Perceived usefulness mediates the link between IQ and SAP. Suggesting that entertainment and perceived usefulness are crucially necessary for inspiring social media content to obtain optimum performance among graduate students. The study was limited to a single academic institution. Therefore, the results of the investigation cannot be generalized as a whole, and cannot track respondents’ social media activity over time. Thus, longitudinal data may be used in future investigations. Practical implicationsThe results of this study indicate that faculties can adapt and adjust their teaching methods and activities to incorporate social media, perceived usefulness, and entertaining content since it affects student performance. Social media (SM) has a significant influence on students’ social and academic performance. Thus, educational stakeholders, such as university authorities, the government, and parents and guardians, should recognize social media as a tool for achieving educational objectives.Originality/valueThe study enhances the application of UTAUT2 by examining how factors that influence the adoption of technology are connected to the subsequent influence of that adoption on students’ learning and conduct.

Boro Jatragaan and Its emergence in Boro Society

‘Jatra Gaan’ is a strong medium of entertainment and education. When the Boro society was in deep slumber and exploited, the young educated section of the society, leaders took the initiative to write drama through which they can educate the illiterate section of people through entertainment to reform and unite the Boro Society. And this was possible through organization and magazines through which one can express their personal feelings, desires, hope to spread the awareness. The Jatra Gaan was most popular entertainment since 1919 to 1970s led by some Jatra Ostads. The episode of Boro Jatra Gaan are threatened to be extinguished without leaving the old dramatical works in printed form. The search of old ‘Palla’s and preservation of these through giving printed form have proved arduous and well-nigh impossible.

Deep Learning-based Emotion Recognition Algorithms in Music Performance

In the realm of artificial intelligence and musicology, emotion recognition in music performance has emerged as a pivotal area of research. This paper introduces EmoTrackNet, an integrated deep learning framework that combines sparse attention networks, enhanced one-dimensional residual Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) with an improved Inception module, and Gate Recurrent Units (GRUs). The synergy of these technologies aims to decode complex emotional cues embedded in music. Our methodology revolves around leveraging the sparse attention network to efficiently process temporal sequences, thereby capturing the intricate dynamics of musical pieces. The incorporation of the 1D residual CNN with an upgraded Inception module facilitates the extraction of nuanced features from audio signals, encompassing a broad spectrum of musical tones and textures. The GRU component further refines the model’s capability to retain and process sequential information over longer timeframes, essential for understanding evolving emotional expressions in music. We evaluated EmoTrackNet on the Soundtrack dataset a comprehensive collection of music pieces annotated with emotional labels. The results demonstrated remarkable improvements in the accuracy of emotion recognition, outperforming existing models. This enhanced performance can be attributed to the integrated approach, which efficiently combines the strengths of each component, leading to a more robust and sensitive emotion detection system. EmoTrackNet’s novel architecture and promising results pave the way for new avenues in musicology, particularly in understanding and interpreting the emotional depth of musical performances. This framework not only contributes significantly to the field of music emotion recognition but also has potential applications in music therapy, entertainment, and interactive media where emotional engagement is key.

Virtual Communication in the Online Game Counter-Strike as an English Learning Media

This research is motivated by the rise of people who play online games, one of which is the online game Counter-Strike 2, which is favored by the world community. Playing Counter-Strike 2 online games can be used as a medium of learning English because, in Counter-Strike 2 online games, you can communicate with the international community using English. People can improve their English language skills through the experience they get when communicating virtually with the global community by playing Counter-Strike 2 online games. The purpose of this study is for people to take advantage of Counter-Strike 2 online games, not just entertainment media so that they can use them to communicate virtually with the international public as a medium of learning and honing skills in English. This study uses a descriptive method with a qualitative approach. Data collection techniques used by researchers are interviews, observations, and literature studies. The results of this study show that playing the online game Counter-Strike 2 can be used as a medium of learning English. This is due to the player's habit of communicating with each player using the international language, namely English, when the game starts. Learning English through Counter-Strike 2 online games can add new knowledge that does not exist in formal education or books. Namely, we can learn new terms in English, known as slang. If you are used to communicating with the international public, it can increase your confidence in using English.

Discounting Counter-Stereotypical Representations in Entertainment Based on Existing Beliefs

ABSTRACT Exposure to counter-stereotypical portrayals in entertainment media has been shown to impact attitudes toward marginalized groups in previous studies, which reveal generally positive but sometimes inconsistent effects. To better understand the role of individual differences in these outcomes, this study examines how perceptions of realism, character typicality, and persuasive intent are influenced by existing stereotypical beliefs. Individuals with high gender- and race-related stereotype endorsement about intelligence were found to perceive counter-stereotypical representations of brilliance as externally unrealistic, undermining the potential for portrayals to positively impact attitudes. This relation was mediated by perceptions of character atypicality. The role of persuasive intent in this process remains inconclusive. By elucidating these mechanisms, this research identifies factors that may impede the prosocial impact of media representations in improving attitudes toward stereotyped groups.

The Relationship Between Political Entertainment Media Use and Political Efficacy: A Comparative Study in 18 Countries

Abstract Political entertainment programs have gained worldwide popularity, prompting research on their effects. One area of interest has been whether this media programming has an impact upon political efficacy. However, existing literature has only examined the impact of a limited number of programs, has failed to consider the simultaneous influence of different genres, and has focused primarily on the US. To address these limitations, we conducted a comparative survey in 18 democracies in 2022, with a sample size of N = 26,000. The findings revealed that viewers of political talk shows exhibited higher levels of both external and internal political efficacy in most countries. Additionally, frequent exposure to political comedy news or satire was positively related to internal political efficacy in certain countries. Finally, the consumption of fictional political dramas was also linked to political efficacy, but only in a few countries.

All Talk, Not Enough Action: Civic Engagement in U.S. Entertainment TV at a Time of Crisis

ABSTRACT This study examines what young adults (aged 18–34) observe and learn about U.S. government leaders and civic engagement through 141 of the country’s most-watched entertainment television programs for their age group. Based on a content analysis of 658 episodes of entertainment television, it interrogates the demographics and actions of politicians and government leaders portrayed on the show, along with any civic action and conversation undertaken by everyday characters not in civic leadership positions. With important implications for both scholars of civic and political communication and entertainment media, as well as media practitioners who wish to understand the cultural importance of their work, this study reveals how the portrait of civic leadership and life offered to young people by the most-watched television programs provides a potentially harmful and uninspiring portrait of democracy in action.

Performance evaluation of generative adversarial networks for anime face synthesis using deep learning approaches

Anime characters have transcended their traditional animation role, permeating entertainment, video games, and social media. Online platforms, including prominent blogs and forums, are filled with references and adaptations of these characters. This digital ubiquity has spurred creators to develop innovative storytelling methods through the internet, fostering new avenues for anime character creation. Notably, advanced systems like Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have emerged as powerful tools for this purpose. This research investigates the capabilities of various GAN variants in generating anime faces. The Fréchet Inception Distance (FID) serves as a key metric for performance comparison. The analysis focuses on Deep Convolutional GAN (DCGAN), Progressively Growing GAN (ProGAN), and Style GAN2. Additionally, the performance metrics of the DCGAN model are examined. The findings show demonstrate significant differences in FID scores across these GANs. Notably, Style GAN2 exhibits superior performance in generating anime faces, achieving a significantly lower FID score (31) compared to DCGAN (625) and ProGAN (218.3). This research underscores Style GAN2's superior effectiveness in creating anime characters within the digital landscape.

The media literacy theory of change and the message interpretation process model

Abstract The Message Interpretation Process (MIP) model originated to explain how youth engaging with entertainment media messages make decisions about apparent reality and behavioral choices. Although it has been tested over several decades with various age groups, population types and content foci, it has never been fully explicated. As it has matured as a model, its principles and concepts have contributed to a complementary theoretical model referred to herein as the Media Literacy Theory of Change. Both stem from the overriding perspective that media literacy involves both cognitive and affective components of message interpretation processes and skills that can be taught, engaged, and adapted as a person develops physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially. This article provides a formal explanation of the MIP model and the Media Literacy Theory of Change, exploring their assumptions and propositions, and referencing the research that has supported and extended the theoretical growth of each over time.

Examining How Sex Appeal Cues and Strength Cues Influence Impressions of Female Video Game Characters

Sexualization is a prominently studied dimension of how media content contributes to problematic outcomes for women (e.g., self-objectification). In video game contexts, scholars have debated whether portrayals of powerful characters may disrupt undesirable outcomes of sexual objectification. In two studies, we experimentally manipulated sex appeal cues and strength cues in female characters. Participants reported their impressions in terms of key person perception outcomes and liking of the characters. We also aimed to understand how interactivity shapes impression formation by comparing viewing (Study 1) to playing (Study 2) contexts. Results indicated that sex appeal cues and strength cues interacted to shape character impressions but did so differently depending on the type of interaction participants had with the character. In both studies, sexual appeal cues produced greater disliking of the characters. Our discussion considers the findings with respect to character design in video games and other media entertainment.