What makes an action sequence enjoyable to watch?
This study identifies perceived difficulty as a key factor in the enjoyment of watching action sequences, which is relevant for creators of sports, games, and other performance media.
The authors investigated what makes action sequences enjoyable to watch by generating 24 Flappy Bird-style video clips varying in difficulty and moment-to-moment uncertainty. They found that participants (N=864) preferred videos where the player seemed to be completing more difficult obstacle courses, but perceived dangerousness did not predict enjoyment.
People often seek out ways to watch others perform complex action sequences (e.g., sports). What makes some sequences more enjoyable to watch than others? We generated 24 video clips of gameplay from a Flappy Bird-style video game. Clips varied in difficulty (how often players succeeded on average) and in moment-to-moment uncertainty (how likely the player was to crash at any given step). Participants (N=864) rated each video on one of three dimensions: how much they enjoyed it, how difficult the level appeared, or how dangerous the player's trajectory appeared. We found that participants preferred videos where the player seemed to be completing more difficult obstacle courses, but dangerousness did not predict enjoyment ratings. These findings show how procedurally generated stimuli can isolate the factors that affect how enjoyable an action sequence is to watch.