Eliciting Behavior From Interactive Narratives: Isolating the Role of Agency in Connecting With and Modeling Characters

A key component differentiating interactive storytelling from non-interactive media is agency, or control over character choices. A series of experiments show that providing agency over a character increased the user-character connection, which then increased engagement in a character-consistent charitable act. Findings were observed in technologically simple online narratives that controlled for navigation/controller differences, graphics, sounds, lengthy play, and avatar customization. Effects emerged even though users did not practice these acts by making their character behave charitably. Findings were robust across happy and unfortunate endings and across first-, second-, and third-person narrative perspectives. Findings suggest promise for developing inexpensive ‘‘storygames’’ to encourage supportive behaviors

Media Influence on Youth: Scientific Evidence, Policy Considerations, and the History of Media Self-Regulation

This invited commentary reviews the survey research described in Examining the Relationship between Media use and Aggression, Sexuality, and Body Image and situates this research within the recent history of entertainment media regulation

Comprehensive mandatory policies are needed to fully protect all children from unhealthy food marketing

The World Health Organization (WHO) have released a new guideline, “Policies to protect children from the harmful impact of food marketing” [1] which recommends the development of comprehensive laws to reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing. This new guideline extends previous recommendations [2] to limit the adverse effects of unhealthy food marketing on the health of the world’s children. We consider here whether these new recommendations go far enough

Sad Kids, Sad Media? Applying Mood Management Theory to Depressed Adolescents' Use of Media

Mood management studies typically have found that adults will select media that enhance positive moods and reduce negative moods. In this study, adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder and control adolescents without psychiatric disorders were called on customized cell phones up to 4 times a day and asked about their current mood state and media use for five extended weekends across an 8-week period. Mood effects on subsequent media use, mood during media consumption, and media effects on subsequent mood were examined. Results indicated that adolescents who consumed fun media tended to do so in a way that sustained, rather than enhanced their prior positive mood levels during and after consumption-if they turned to media. Adolescents in more negative moods did not often use media to improve their moods. When they did, boys were more likely than girls to use media that ultimately reduced negative mood levels. Findings are discussed in light of the literature on mood management, adolescence, and depression

Television viewing and using screens while eating: Associations with dietary intake in children and adolescents

Screen time has been associated with overweight and obesity, as well as with poorer dietary quality. However, the reasons explaining these associations are not well understood. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were [1] to determine the extent of overall TV viewing as well as using screens while eating (e.g., watching TV or using a tablet), [2] to compare food and nutrient consumption of on-versus off-screen eating occasions, and [3] to determine whether TV viewing and using screens while eating is associated with overall dietary intake. Participants were from the Food Environment Chilean Cohort (n = 938, 4–6 y) and the Growth and Obesity Cohort Study (n = 752, 12–14 y). Dietary data was collected via one 24-h food recall. For each eating occasion, activity performed during consumption (e.g., watching TV, playing sports) was reported. Weekly TV viewing time was collected via an additional survey instrument. Analyses included multivariable linear and logistic regression. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons examined differences in outcomes by tertiles. Our sample reported a median of 9–13.5 weekly hours of TV viewing and 87.5% reported consuming at least one meal or snack per day while using screens. The median kilocalories contributed by eating during screen use was 387 kcal/d in children and 848 kcal/day in adolescents, which represents 34.7% and 42.3% of daily energy intake, respectively. There were no consistent differences when comparing eating occasions consumed on-screen versus off-screen. Higher weekly TV viewing was associated with elements of a less healthy diet including more sweets and desserts in children, and more sugar sweetened beverages in adolescents. A large percentage of Chilean children and adolescents’ daily energy is consumed while using screens. In depth, longitudinal work is needed to understand how screen time eating affects diet quality and nutritional status

Design and approval of the nutritional warnings’ policy in Peru: Milestones, key stakeholders, and policy drivers for its approval

Nutritional warnings are used as a public health strategy to address obesity. Peru approved in 2013 and implemented in 2019 a law requiring nutritional warnings on the marketing and packaging of processed foods high in sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and containing trans-fat. The complexity behind the design and approval of these policies over six years provides unique learnings, that inform the obesity prevention context, especially when proposed policies face strong opposition from powerful stakeholders. Our study aims to describe the milestones and key stakeholders’ roles and stances during the nutritional warnings policy design in Peru, and to identify and analyze the main drivers of policy change that explain its approval. In 2021, interviews were conducted with 25 key informants closely involved in its design. Interviews were analyzed using the Kaleidoscope Model as a theoretical framework. Relevant policy documents and news were also analyzed. Milestones for this policy included the approval of the Law, Regulation, and Manual. Policy supporters were mainly from Congress, civil society advocates, and Health Ministers. Opponents came from Congress, ministries linked to the economic sector, the food industry, and media. Across the years, warnings evolved from a single text, to traffic lights, to the approved black octagons. Main challenges included the strong opposition of powerful stakeholders, the lack of agreement for defining the appropriate evidence supporting nutritional warning parameters and design, and the political instability of the country. Based on the Kaleidoscope Model, the policy successfully targeted a relevant problem (unhealthy eating decisions) and had powerful advocates who effectively used focusing events to reposition the warnings in the policy agenda across the years. Negotiations weakened the policy but led to its approval. Importantly, government veto players were mostly in favor of the policy, which enabled its final approval despite the strong opposition

Media Enjoyment as a Function of Control over Characters

Enjoyment of online narratives can be enhanced with low-tech content-based user control.•Effects of user control were tested in isolation from other aspects of interactive narratives.Enjoyment of content improves when simple control over character choices is provided.•Effects of control on enjoyment are independent of first-, second-, or third-person perspectives.•Effects of control on enjoyment are independent of positive or negative story outcomes. This paper argues that the enjoyment of interactive media, especially interactive narratives, can be explained via perceptions of control. Specifically, control over a character’s choices, lead to higher perceptions of control which increased user enjoyment. Three different experiments using varying narratives, grammatical perspectives and story outcomes support these arguments consistently. This series of studies demonstrates that perceptions of control over media characters facilitate positive attitudes toward media content, corroborating and expanding upon earlier entertainment research. This research demonstrates a low-tech application of content-based user control in new media environments

Media enjoyment as a function of control over characters

This paper argues that the enjoyment of interactive media, especially interactive narratives, can be explained via perceptions of control. Specifically, control over a character\u27s choices, lead to higher perceptions of control which increased user enjoyment. Three different experiments using varying narratives, grammatical perspectives and story outcomes support these arguments consistently. This series of studies demonstrates that perceptions of control over media characters facilitate positive attitudes toward media content, corroborating and expanding upon earlier entertainment research. This research demonstrates a low-tech application of content-based user control in new media environments