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Banqueters playing Kottabos (game) and girl playing the aulos, Greece ( ~). Banqueting and music have continued to be two important entertainments since ancient times.

Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousands of years specifically to keep an audience's attention.

Although people's attention is held by different things because individuals have different preferences, most forms of entertainment are recognizable and familiar. Storytelling, music, drama, dance, and different kinds of performance exist in all cultures, were supported in royal courts, and developed into sophisticated forms over time, becoming available to all citizens. The process has been accelerated in modern times by an entertainment industry that records and sells entertainment products. Entertainment evolves and can be adapted to suit any scale, ranging from an individual who chooses private entertainment from a now enormous array of pre-recorded products, to a banquet adapted for two, to any size or type of party with appropriate music and dance, to performances intended for thousands, and even for a global audience.

The experience of being entertained has come to be strongly associated with amusement, so that one common understanding of the idea is fun and laughter, although many entertainments have a serious purpose. This may be the case in various forms of ceremony, celebration, religious festival, or satire, for example. Hence, there is the possibility that what appears to be entertainment may also be a means of achieving insight or intellectual growth.

An important aspect of entertainment is the audience, which turns a private recreation or leisure activity into entertainment. The audience may have a passive role, as in the case of people watching a play, opera, television show, or film; or the audience role may be active, as in the case of games, where the participant and audience roles may be routinely reversed. Entertainment can be public or private, involving formal, scripted performances, as in the case of theatre or concerts, or unscripted and spontaneous, as in the case of children's games. Most forms of entertainment have persisted over many centuries, evolving due to changes in culture, technology, and fashion, as with stage magic. Films and video games, although they use newer media, continue to tell stories, present drama, and play music. Festivals devoted to music, film, or dance allow audiences to be entertained over a number of consecutive days.

Some entertainment, such as public executions, is now illegal in most countries. Activities such as fencing or archery, once used in hunting or war, have become spectator sports. In the same way, other activities, such as cooking, have developed into performances among professionals, staged as global competitions, and then broadcast for entertainment. What is entertainment for one group or individual may be regarded as work or an act of cruelty by another.

The familiar forms of entertainment have the capacity to cross over into different media and have demonstrated a seemingly unlimited potential for creative remix. This has ensured the continuity and longevity of many themes, images, and structures.

Etymology

The Oxford English Dictionary gives Latin and French origins for the word "entertain", including inter (among) + tenir (to hold) as derivations, giving translations of "to hold mutually" or "to hold intertwined" and "to engage, keep occupied, the attention, thoughts, or time (of a person)". It also provides words like "merry-making", "pleasure", and "delight", as well as "to receive as a guest and show hospitality to". It cites a 1490 usage by William Caxton.^[1]

Psychology and philosophy

Entertainment can be distinguished from other activities such as education and marketing even though they have learned how to use the appeal of entertainment to achieve their different goals. Sometimes entertainment can be a mixture for both. The importance and impact of entertainment is recognised by scholars^[2]^[3] and its increasing sophistication has influenced ^[4] practices in other fields such as museology.^[5]^[6]

Psychologists say the function of media entertainment is "the attainment of gratification".^[7] No other results or measurable benefits are usually expected from it (except perhaps the final score in a sporting entertainment). This is in contrast to education (which is designed with the purpose of developing understanding or helping people to learn) and marketing (which aims to encourage people to purchase commercial products). However, the distinctions become blurred when education seeks to be more "entertaining" and entertainment or marketing seek to be more "educational". Such mixtures are often known by the neologisms "edutainment" or "infotainment". The psychology of entertainment as well as of learning has been applied to all these fields. Some education-entertainment is a serious attempt to combine the best features of the two.^[8]^[9] Some people are entertained by others' pain or the idea of their unhappiness (schadenfreude).^[10]

An entertainment might go beyond gratification and produce some insight in its audience. Entertainment may skilfully consider universal philosophical questions such as: "What does it mean to be human?"; "What is the right thing to do?"; or "How do I know what I know?". "The meaning of life", for example, is the subject in a wide range of entertainment forms, including film, music and literature. Questions such as these drive many narratives and dramas, whether they are presented in the form of a story, film, play, poem, book, dance, comic, or game. Dramatic examples include Shakespeare's influential play Hamlet, whose hero articulates these concerns in poetry; and films, such as The Matrix, which explores the nature of knowledge^[11] and was released worldwide.^[12] Novels give great scope for investigating these themes while they entertain their readers.^[13] An example of a creative work that considers philosophical questions so entertainingly that it has been presented in a very wide range of forms is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Originally a radio comedy, this story became so popular that it has also appeared as a novel, film, television series, stage show, comic, audiobook, LP record, adventure game and online game, its ideas became popular references (see Phrases from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ^↗) and has been translated into many languages.^[14] Its themes encompass the meaning of life, as well as "the ethics of entertainment, artificial intelligence, multiple worlds, God, and philosophical method".^[15]

Notes

↑ The Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 1971, Vol 1 pp. 213–214)
↑ For example, the application of psychological models and theories to entertainment is discussed in Part III of Bryant, Jennings (2006). Psychology of Entertainment. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc, 367–434. ISBN 978-0-8058-5238-7.
↑ Sayre, Shay (2010). Entertainment and Society: Influences, Impacts, and Innovations (Google eBook), 2nd, Oxon; New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-99806-2. p. 22.
↑ Also read: Influence of the IBM PC on the personal computer market ^↗
↑ (2011) in Frost, Warwick: Conservation, Education, Entertainment?. Channel View Publication. ISBN 978-1-84541-164-0.
↑ (2007) in Knell, Simon J.: Museum Revolutions. Oxon; New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-203-93264-3.
↑ Zillmann, Dolf (2000). Media Entertainment – the psychology of its appeal. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Taylor & Francis e-library, vii. ISBN 978-0-8058-3324-9.
↑ (2008) Entertainment-Education and Social Change: History, Research, and Practice. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-4106-0959-5.
↑ (2011) Digital Games and Learning. London; New York: Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4411-9870-9.
↑ Schadenfreude: Why Do We Like To See Others Suffer?, https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/why-do-we-like-to-see-others-suffer-schadenfreude.html article status: live (Language: en-US
↑ (2002) The Matrix and Philosophy. Peru, IL: Carus Publishing Company, 196. ISBN 978-0-8126-9502-1.
↑ IMDb The Matrix worldwide release dates, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_ql_9 article status: live
↑ Jones, Peter (1975). Philosophy and the Novel.
↑ Simpson, M.J. (2005). The Pocket Essential Hitchhiker's Guide, 2nd, Pocket Essentials, 120. ISBN 978-1-904048-46-6.
↑ (2012) Philosophy and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire; New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-29112-6.

Forms of Entertainment topics
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[1] The Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 1971, Vol 1 pp. 213–214)

[2] For example, the application of psychological models and theories to entertainment is discussed in Part III of Bryant, Jennings (2006). Psychology of Entertainment. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc, 367–434. ISBN 978-0-8058-5238-7.

[Sayre-3] Sayre, Shay (2010). Entertainment and Society: Influences, Impacts, and Innovations (Google eBook), 2nd, Oxon; New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-99806-2. p. 22.

[4] Also read: Influence of the IBM PC on the personal computer market ^↗

[5] (2011) in Frost, Warwick: Conservation, Education, Entertainment?. Channel View Publication. ISBN 978-1-84541-164-0.

[6] (2007) in Knell, Simon J.: Museum Revolutions. Oxon; New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-203-93264-3.

[7] Zillmann, Dolf (2000). Media Entertainment – the psychology of its appeal. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Taylor & Francis e-library, vii. ISBN 978-0-8058-3324-9.

[8] (2008) Entertainment-Education and Social Change: History, Research, and Practice. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-4106-0959-5.

[9] (2011) Digital Games and Learning. London; New York: Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4411-9870-9.

[10] Schadenfreude: Why Do We Like To See Others Suffer?, https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/why-do-we-like-to-see-others-suffer-schadenfreude.html article status: live (Language: en-US

[11] (2002) The Matrix and Philosophy. Peru, IL: Carus Publishing Company, 196. ISBN 978-0-8126-9502-1.

[12] IMDb The Matrix worldwide release dates, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_ql_9 article status: live

[13] Jones, Peter (1975). Philosophy and the Novel.

[14] Simpson, M.J. (2005). The Pocket Essential Hitchhiker's Guide, 2nd, Pocket Essentials, 120. ISBN 978-1-904048-46-6.

[15] (2012) Philosophy and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire; New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-29112-6.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Header|Entertainment 03/24}}
+{{wip}}
 [[File:Symposium scene Nicias Painter MAN.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Banqueters playing Kottabos (game) and girl playing the aulos, Greece ({{circa|420&nbsp;[[Before common era|BCE]]}}). Banqueting and music have continued to be two important entertainments since ancient times.]]
 ''' Entertainment''' is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an [[audience]] or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousands of years specifically to keep an audience's attention.
-Although people's attention is held by different things because individuals have different preferences, most forms of entertainment are recognizable and familiar. [[Storytelling]], [[music]], [[drama]], [[dance]], and different kinds of performance exist in all cultures, were supported in royal courts, and developed into sophisticated forms over time, becoming available to all citizens. The process has been accelerated in modern times by an entertainment industry that records and sells entertainment products. Entertainment evolves and can be adapted to suit any scale, ranging from an individual who chooses private entertainment from a now enormous array of pre-recorded products, to a banquet adapted for two, to any size or type of party with appropriate music and dance, to performances intended for thousands, and even for a global audience.
+Although people's attention is held by different things because individuals have different preferences, most forms of entertainment are recognizable and familiar. [[Storytelling]], [[music]], [[drama]], [[dance]], and different kinds of performance exist in all cultures, were supported in [[court entertainment|royal courts]], and developed into sophisticated forms over time, becoming available to all citizens. The process has been accelerated in modern times by an entertainment industry that records and sells entertainment products. Entertainment evolves and can be adapted to suit any scale, ranging from an individual who chooses private entertainment from a now enormous array of pre-recorded products, to a banquet adapted for two, to any size or type of party with appropriate music and dance, to performances intended for thousands, and even for a global audience.
 The experience of being entertained has come to be strongly associated with [[amusement]], so that one common understanding of the idea is [[fun]] and laughter, although many entertainments have a serious purpose. This may be the case in various forms of [[ceremony]], celebration, religious festival, or [[satire]], for example. Hence, there is the possibility that what appears to be entertainment may also be a means of achieving insight or intellectual growth.
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 == Psychology and philosophy ==
-Entertainment can be distinguished from other activities such as education and marketing even though they have learned how to use the appeal of entertainment to achieve their different goals. Sometimes entertainment can be a mixture for both. The importance and impact of entertainment is recognised by scholars<ref>For example, the application of psychological models and theories to entertainment is discussed in Part III of {{cite book|last=Bryant|first=Jennings|title=Psychology of Entertainment|year=2006|publisher=Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc|location=Mahwah, NJ|isbn=978-0-8058-5238-7|pages=367–434|author2=Vorderer, Peter}}</ref><ref name="Sayre">{{cite book|ref=CITEREFSayreKing2010|last=Sayre|first=Shay|title=Entertainment and Society: Influences, Impacts, and Innovations (Google eBook)|year=2010|publisher=Routledge|location=Oxon; New York|isbn=978-0-415-99806-2|edition=2nd|author2=King, Cynthia}} p. 22.</ref> and its increasing sophistication has influenced <ref group="Note">Also read: {{wl|Influence of the IBM PC on the personal computer market}}</ref> practices in other fields such as [[museology]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Conservation, Education, Entertainment?|year=2011|publisher=Channel View Publication|isbn=978-1-84541-164-0|editor=Frost, Warwick}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Museum Revolutions|year=2007|publisher=Routledge|location=Oxon; New York|isbn=978-0-203-93264-3|author1=Macleod, Suzanne |author2=Watson, Sheila |editor=Knell, Simon J.}}</ref>
+Entertainment can be distinguished from other activities such as education and marketing even though they have learned how to use the appeal of entertainment to achieve their different goals. Sometimes entertainment can be a mixture for both. The importance and impact of entertainment is recognised by scholars<ref>For example, the application of psychological models and theories to entertainment is discussed in Part III of {{cite book|last=Bryant|first=Jennings|title=Psychology of Entertainment|year=2006|publisher=Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc|location=Mahwah, NJ|isbn=978-0-8058-5238-7|pages=367–434|author2=Vorderer, Peter}}</ref><ref name="Sayre">{{cite book|ref=CITEREFSayreKing2010|last=Sayre|first=Shay|title=Entertainment and Society: Influences, Impacts, and Innovations (Google eBook)|year=2010|publisher=Routledge|location=Oxon; New York|isbn=978-0-415-99806-2|edition=2nd|author2=King, Cynthia}} p. 22.</ref> and its increasing sophistication has influenced <ref> Also read: {{wl|Influence of the IBM PC on the personal computer market}}</ref> practices in other fields such as [[museology]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Conservation, Education, Entertainment?|year=2011|publisher=Channel View Publication|isbn=978-1-84541-164-0|editor=Frost, Warwick}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Museum Revolutions|year=2007|publisher=Routledge|location=Oxon; New York|isbn=978-0-203-93264-3|author1=Macleod, Suzanne |author2=Watson, Sheila |editor=Knell, Simon J.}}</ref>
 Psychologists say the function of media entertainment is "the attainment of gratification".<ref>{{cite book|last=Zillmann|first=Dolf|title=Media Entertainment – the psychology of its appeal|year=2000|publisher=Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Taylor & Francis e-library |location=Mahwah, NJ|isbn=978-0-8058-3324-9|page=vii|author2=Vorderer, Peter}}</ref> No other results or measurable benefits are usually expected from it (except perhaps the final score in a sporting entertainment). This is in contrast to education (which is designed with the purpose of developing understanding or helping people to learn) and marketing (which aims to encourage people to purchase commercial products). However, the distinctions become blurred when education seeks to be more "entertaining" and entertainment or marketing seek to be more "educational". Such mixtures are often known by the [[neologism]]s "[[edutainment]]" or "[[infotainment]]". The psychology of entertainment as well as of learning has been applied to all these fields. Some education-entertainment is a serious attempt to combine the best features of the two.<ref>{{cite book|title=Entertainment-Education and Social Change: History, Research, and Practice|year=2008|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-4106-0959-5|editor1=Singhal, Arvind |editor2=Cody, Michael J. |editor3=Rogers, Everett |editor4=Sabido, Miguel }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Digital Games and Learning |year=2011 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |location=London; New York |isbn=978-1-4411-9870-9 |editor1-last=de Freitas |editor1-first=Sara |editor2-last=Maharg |editor2-first=Paul}}</ref> Some people are entertained by others' pain or the idea of their unhappiness ([[schadenfreude]]).<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 February 2020 |title=Schadenfreude: Why Do We Like To See Others Suffer? |url=https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/why-do-we-like-to-see-others-suffer-schadenfreude.html |access-date=2 May 2022 |website=Science ABC |language=en-US |archive-date=20 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020162049/https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/why-do-we-like-to-see-others-suffer-schadenfreude.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
 An entertainment might go beyond gratification and produce some insight in its audience. Entertainment may skilfully consider universal philosophical questions such as: "What does it mean to be human?"; "What is the right thing to do?"; or "How do I know what I know?". "The [[meaning of life]]", for example, is the subject in a wide range of entertainment forms, including film, music and literature. Questions such as these drive many narratives and dramas, whether they are presented in the form of a story, film, play, poem, book, dance, comic, or game. Dramatic examples include [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s influential play ''Hamlet'', whose hero articulates these concerns in poetry; and films, such as ''The Matrix'', which explores the nature of knowledge<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Irwin|editor-first=William|title=The Matrix and Philosophy|year=2002|publisher=Carus Publishing Company|location=Peru, IL|page=[https://archive.org/details/matrixphilosophy00irwi/page/196 196]|isbn=978-0-8126-9502-1|url=https://archive.org/details/matrixphilosophy00irwi/page/196}}</ref> and was released worldwide.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_ql_9| title = IMDb ''The Matrix'' worldwide release dates| website = [[IMDb]]| access-date = 30 June 2018| archive-date = 9 May 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190509185717/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_ql_9| url-status = live}}</ref> Novels give great scope for investigating these themes while they entertain their readers.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Peter|title=Philosophy and the Novel|year=1975|location=Oxford, Clarendon}}</ref> An example of a creative work that considers philosophical questions so entertainingly that it has been presented in a very wide range of forms is ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]''. Originally a [[radio comedy]], this story became so popular that it has also appeared as a novel, film, television series, stage show, comic, [[audiobook]], LP record, adventure game and online game, its ideas became popular references (see {{wl|Phrases from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}) and has been translated into many languages.<ref>{{cite book |author=Simpson, M.J. |title=The Pocket Essential Hitchhiker's Guide |edition=2nd |publisher=Pocket Essentials |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-904048-46-6 |page=120}}</ref> Its themes encompass the [[meaning of life]], as well as "the ethics of entertainment, [[artificial intelligence]], multiple worlds, God, and [[philosophical method]]".<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Joll|editor-first=Nicholas|title=Philosophy and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy|year=2012|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire; New York|isbn=978-0-230-29112-6}}</ref>
 == Notes ==
 <references group="Note" />
 <References />
+{{sa-entertainment}}
 == External links ==
 {{Footer}}
-{[cat|Entertainment}}
+{{cat|Entertainment}}