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Discomfort—The Dark Side of Fun

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Funology 2

Part of the book series: Human–Computer Interaction Series ((HCIS))

Abstract

For many of us, the notion of ‘fun’ conjures up visions of experiences that are amusing, pleasant, entertaining, playful—perhaps even frivolous. Rides, games, shows and perhaps even the experience of visiting an art gallery can embody these senses of fun, providing amusing and momentary distractions from the toils of life. And yet, such experiences often have a darker side to them. Thrill rides such as roller coasters may be scary and physically demanding. Games routinely involve us in pretending to commit unspeakable acts such as butchering others. And the works we encounter in theatres and galleries may challenge, confront and even outrage us. So perhaps fun is not so frivolous after all? Maybe fun inevitably encompasses a ‘dark side’ as a vital, even necessary, part of the entertainment.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/ and http://thrilllaboratory.com/.

  2. 2.

    http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/projects/ulrike-and-eamon-compliant/ (verified 14th July 2017).

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council through the Living With Digital Ubiquity (EP/M000877/1) and From Human Data to Personal Experience (EP/M02315X/1) projects.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Mixed Reality Laboratory, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Steve Benford, Chris Greenhalgh, Brendan Walker, Joe Marshall, Paul Tennent & Tom Rodden

  2. Centre for Intermedia, The University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

    Gabriella Giannachi

Authors
  1. Steve Benford
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  2. Chris Greenhalgh
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  3. Gabriella Giannachi
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  4. Brendan Walker
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  5. Joe Marshall
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  6. Paul Tennent
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  7. Tom Rodden
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Steve Benford .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Design, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

    Mark Blythe

  2. Department of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom

    Andrew Monk

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Benford, S. et al. (2018). Discomfort—The Dark Side of Fun. In: Blythe, M., Monk, A. (eds) Funology 2. Human–Computer Interaction Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68213-6_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68213-6_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-68212-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-68213-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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