What makes an action sequence enjoyable to watch?

2026-05-29

AI Summary

This study investigates the key factors influencing viewers’ enjoyment of complex action sequences. By procedurally generating Flappy Bird–style game videos in which difficulty and moment-to-moment uncertainty (i.e., “peril”) are independently manipulated, and combining these stimuli with a large-scale subjective rating experiment (N = 864) and multidimensional psychological assessments, the research isolates and quantifies the distinct contributions of each factor to观赏 experience. Results demonstrate that successful performance within high-difficulty levels significantly enhances viewer enjoyment, whereas trajectory peril exerts no significant effect. These findings establish task difficulty as the primary driver of观赏 appeal in dynamic action sequences.

Abstract

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.

Problem

• enjoyment
• action sequence
• difficulty
• uncertainty
• procedural generation

Innovation

• procedural generation
• action sequence enjoyment
• difficulty perception
• uncertainty
• stimulus control