Watching is the new reading: Comparing the outcomes of popular books, TV shows, and video games

Abstract

This study investigated three narrative media — books, video games, and television — and compared popular examples of them, as they represent narrative content in which the user now has the ability to control the pace of the narrative. Outcomes associated with narrative consumption were compared across these media, and the personality trait transportability was also included in the analysis. Results indicated that whereas books and TV represented similar narrative experiences, video games provided less opportunity for transportation into a narrative, appreciation, lasting impression, and suspense. Implications for transportation theory and narrative consumption are discussed.