Entertainment

Entertainment is a fun activity that captures people's attention and brings pleasure and delight. It can be an idea, a task, or an event created especially to engage an audience. People all over the world enjoy storytelling, music, drama, dance, and many kinds of performances. These activities have existed in every culture for thousands of years, often supported by royal courts and later made available to everyone.

In modern times, the entertainment industry records and sells entertainment products, making it easy for people to enjoy entertainment in many ways. It can be as simple as watching a show alone or as big as a performance for thousands of people. Entertainment often brings amusement and fun, but it can also help people learn and grow. Audiences can watch entertainment, like plays or films, or take part in it, like playing games. Over time, entertainment has changed with culture and technology, but many forms have lasted for centuries. Some activities that were once used for hunting or war, like fencing or archery, have become popular spectator sports. What is fun for one person might seem like work or even cruelty to another.

Etymology

The word "entertain" comes from old Latin and French words. It means things like "to hold attention" or "to keep someone busy with fun." People have used this word since around 1490. It can also mean giving pleasure or making someone happy, like when you welcome a guest into your home.

Psychology and philosophy

Entertainment is different from activities like learning and advertising, even though they sometimes use fun to reach their goals. Sometimes, entertainment can mix with these activities. Experts know how important entertainment is, and it has even changed how museums and other places work.

People watch entertainment to feel good. Unlike learning, which helps us understand new things, or advertising, which tries to get us to buy things, entertainment mostly just makes us happy. But sometimes, learning can be made more fun, and entertainment can teach us things too. These mixes are called "edutainment" or "infotainment."

Entertainment can make us think about big questions like "What does it mean to be human?" or "What is the right thing to do?" Many stories, movies, and books explore these ideas. For example, Shakespeare’s play Hamlet and the movie The Matrix make us think about what we know and how we know it. The story The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy started as a radio show but became a book, movie, TV show, and more. It talks about big ideas like the meaning of life and what it means to be smart.

History

Telling stories is one of the oldest ways people have shared their history, traditions, and values. This way of sharing has been a big part of entertainment since the very beginning. People still enjoy stories today, whether around a fire while camping or when learning about another culture as a tourist. Stories have changed over time but remain a favorite way to entertain.

Many types of entertainment, like music and drama, have stayed popular but have grown in many different directions to suit many tastes and cultures. Sometimes different kinds of entertainment mix together. For example, music often adds to drama and stories, and games and sports can be part of other fun activities. Some activities started from practical needs and later became entertainment, like pole vaulting, which may have begun as a way to cross canals or as a battle skill.

Entertainment changes with culture and history. For instance, hunting wild animals became popular in the Roman Empire. Big events like wars and revolutions also shaped entertainment. During times of change, new kinds of entertainment appear to fit the moment.

Entertainment keeps changing with fashion, culture, technology, and money. Stories can be told in many ways, from open-air theatres to modern screens like tablet computers. Big places like theatres, auditoriums, and stadiums are built just for entertainment. Famous venues like the Colosseum once held thousands of people for shows and sports.

Royal courts have long been places where entertainers learned and grew. Different cultures used their palaces in various ways. For example, in the Maya city states, big shows happened in plazas where people could watch. Entertainment often moved from courts to everyone else. In Korea, dances that started in palaces for special events later became popular with ordinary people. In some places, entertainments began as religious rituals but later became fun for everyone.

In some royal places, men and women were separated during entertainments. Courts used entertainments not just for fun but to show off wealth and power. These events helped show the difference between rulers and everyone else. Even today, big ceremonies like the Hong Kong handover ceremony use entertainment to show important changes.

In the past, some people found entertainment in watching punishments. Public punishments, like hangings, were seen as both a warning and a form of entertainment. Over time, people began to see these events as wrong, and they are no longer accepted as entertainment today.

Children

Main article: Play (activity)

Children's entertainment centers around play and is important for their growth. It often copies adult activities, like watching shows on television, and helps them get ready for future responsibilities such as taking care of others or interacting with friends through games and toys. It also helps develop skills like moving their bodies, which is useful for sports and music. Today, much of this entertainment happens while sitting and using devices like tablet computers.

Adults often provide entertainment for children or teach them fun activities. There are special performers whose job is to entertain kids, including children's musicians, television presenters, magicians, costumed performers, puppeteers, and party princesses. Many things that children enjoy, like puppets, clowns, pantomimes, and cartoons, are also fun for adults.

Children have always enjoyed playing games, which helps them develop. A famous painting from 1560 by Pieter Bruegel the Elder titled Children's Games shows many games children played back then, such as marbles, hide-and-seek, blowing soap bubbles, and piggyback riding, that are still popular today.

Most forms of entertainment can be changed to better suit children. As understanding grew about how children develop, stories and activities were created just for them. Countries have made systems like television content rating systems to help guide what is suitable for children to watch.

Forms

Banquets

Banquets have been places for fun and enjoyment since ancient times and continue to be used today. They are often held to impress important guests, show hospitality, or celebrate special events like weddings or victories. Banquets can include music, dancing, and other performances. In modern times, banquets are often held in restaurants or dinner theaters, sometimes with dramatic shows. Cooking competitions, like the Bocuse d'Or, have also become a form of entertainment.

Music

Music is a big part of many types of entertainment. It is used in storytelling, dance, opera, films, and theater. Music can also be a main form of entertainment all on its own, like in concerts. There are many kinds of music, such as classical, jazz, folk, rock, and pop. Since the 20th century, music has been easy for everyone to enjoy because of radio and recordings.

Games

Games are played for fun, sometimes just for play, and sometimes for prizes. They can be played alone, in teams, or online, by amateurs or professionals. Watching games, like chess championships, can also be entertaining. Games need different kinds of equipment, from boards and cards to balls and computers. Video games have become very popular worldwide.

Literature

Reading has been a source of entertainment for a very long time. Stories and information have been shared through talking and later through writing. Books became cheaper and more common, making reading a fun activity for many people. Comics and cartoons are also forms of literature that combine drawings with stories to entertain readers.

Comedy

Comedy is a type of entertainment that makes people laugh. It can be found in literature, theater, opera, film, and games. In the past, comedians in royal courts were expected to make fun of everyone, including important people. Today, comedy includes jokes, puns, and funny situations in stories and performances.

Performance

Live performances, like theater, music, and dance, are a major form of entertainment. In the past, before recordings, these performances were very important. Theater includes many types of shows, from plays to musicals. Audiences show their appreciation by applauding, but sometimes performances don’t hold everyone’s attention.

Storytelling

Storytelling is an ancient way to entertain and think about human problems. Stories can be told to small groups or used in films, dance, and opera. Written stories with pictures, like illuminated manuscripts, have been around for a long time. Stories are still told to entertain people during travels or in cars and planes.

Theatre

Theater performances, which can be dramas or musicals, have a long history. They are usually put on for an audience sitting in front of a stage. Different types of stages and seating arrangements are used, both indoors and outdoors. The way the stage is set up and how the audience is seated affects their experience.

Cinema and film

Films are a big form of entertainment. Not all films are made just to entertain, but many are. Films can tell stories, show real events, or imagine new worlds. Techniques like animation and computer-generated imagery (CGI) make films exciting to watch. Films can be enjoyed in theaters or at home, and they often retell stories from books or plays.

Dance

Dance entertainers perform for all ages and cultures. Dance can be serious, like telling a story, or fun, like comedy. Dance includes music, movement, and storytelling. Dancers need training and skill, but dancing can also be a fun activity for everyone. Different cultures have their own dance traditions.

Animals

Animals have been used for entertainment for thousands of years. They have been hunted, shown performing tricks, or raced for fun. Some animal contests, like dog fighting, are now illegal because they are cruel. Others, like horse racing, are still popular. Animals in zoos and circuses have also entertained people for a long time.

Circus

A circus is a special type of show with acrobats, jugglers, and sometimes animals. Circuses were first performed in permanent venues and later traveled around. They include many skills like tumbling, rope-dancing, and animal tricks. The modern circus started in the 18th century and has evolved over time.

Magic

Magic, or stage magic, is a form of entertainment where performers make things look impossible. Magic has been part of many cultures for a long time. Magicians use tricks, like sleight of hand and psychological tricks, to amaze their audience. Famous magicians like Harry Houdini have entertained many people with their stunts and escape acts.

Street performance

Street performances, also called busking, have been entertaining people for centuries. There are different types of street performances, like circle shows, walk-by acts, and café busking. Buskers can be musicians, magicians, acrobats, and more. Street performances are celebrated at busking festivals around the world.

Parades

Parades are public events that entertain people by showing colorful costumes and activities. They can be for celebrations, religious festivals, or even military events. Parades have been around for a long time, from ancient Roman triumphs to modern-day celebrations. They often include music, dancing, and special costumes.

Fireworks

Fireworks are used to celebrate special events and have been popular since the 17th century. They were first used in China and Europe for military purposes but became popular for celebrations. Fireworks are used in many public events, like New Year’s celebrations and festivals, to entertain and impress audiences.

Sport

Sports competitions entertain crowds and have always been a form of entertainment. With better stadiums and technology, more people can watch sports. Popular sports like football and cricket have huge global followings. Sports also depend on culture; for example, baseball is popular in the United States, while rugby is popular in New Zealand. Sports have evolved based on climate and location, like surfing in Hawaii and skiing in Scandinavia.

Safety

Some entertainments, like big festivals, concerts, clubs, parties, and celebrations, bring together large crowds. From ancient times, big crowds at events have had risks, especially when people are drinking or otherwise not thinking clearly. These risks can lead to injuries or even worse outcomes. For example, at the Altamont Free Concert, a big outdoor rock festival, there were serious problems.

There have been many serious incidents at nightclubs, including crowd crushes, fires, and even terrorism. After these events, investigations are done to learn how to improve safety, but sometimes these lessons are not always followed. To help keep people safe, venues now have security officers to control access and improve safety standards. The tourism industry sees safety at entertainment venues as very important.

Industry

Further information: Film industry, Media market, Music industry, Show business, Sport industry, and Video game industry

Entertainment is a big business, especially in the United States, but it exists in all cultures. In the past, kings and rulers often paid for entertainment for themselves and the public. Most people created their own fun or went to see live shows. In the 20th century, new technology allowed entertainment to be made far away from the audience and then sold, creating the entertainment industry. This industry uses special business ways to make, market, and share many types of shows and performances.

The film industry is part of the entertainment industry. It includes famous places like Hollywood and Bollywood, as well as film making in the United Kingdom and across Europe, such as in France, Germany, Spain, and Italy.

Amusement parks entertain visitors with exciting rides like roller coasters, ridable miniature railways, water rides, and dark rides. These parks are divided into themed areas, and some, like SeaWorld, focus on sea life.

The entertainment industry has also created new jobs. While jobs like writers, musicians, and composers still exist, people often work for companies now. New jobs include special effects supervisors in films and attendants in amusement parks.

The industry gives out important awards for excellence in many types of entertainment, such as music, games (including video games), comics, theatre, television, film, dance, and magical arts. Sports awards are given for skill and results, not just for being entertaining.

Architecture

Architecture for entertainment

Buildings made just for entertainment, like theaters and stadiums, have become some of the most famous structures in the world. Ancient Greeks built big, important theaters to show how much they valued community events. The Romans created oval stadiums called circuses for large gatherings. Today, famous buildings like the Sydney Opera House and The O₂ in London are known not just for their entertainment, but also as important landmarks. Special theaters, like the Bayreuth Festspielhaus in Germany, are even built just for certain performances.

When designing places for big crowds, safety and quick exits are very important. Good sightlines and sound are also key for theaters. Modern entertainment venues need to work for both live audiences and people watching from far away.

• Architecture for entertainment

• Colosseum, Rome (70–80 AD), Roman venue for mass entertainment

• The Grand Foyer in the Palais Garnier, Paris (1875), influenced architecture around the world.

• Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, at inauguration (1950) the world's largest stadium by capacity

• Flamingo Entertainment Centre, Vantaa (2008), includes a variety of entertainment activities (e.g. a cinema, spa, bowling, laser games, virtual experiences), 40 different stores and a hotel.

Architecture as entertainment

Sometimes, buildings themselves can be fun to look at because they are so unusual or beautiful. For example, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry, attracts visitors just because of how amazing it looks. Other buildings might seem useful but are really just for show.

Tourism sometimes changes real buildings into fun places to visit. For example, old castles or even places where sad history happened might be turned into attractions. Amusement parks also build special structures that match their themes, which are usually not real or fully functional.

Effects of developments in electronic media

In 1888, composer Arthur Sullivan heard one of the first music recordings made by Thomas Edison’s phonograph. He was amazed by the new technology but also worried that bad music might be saved forever.

By the middle of the 20th century, new electronic tools let people all over the world enjoy entertainment. Better ways to save information, like cassette tapes and compact discs, helped make this possible. Computers and barcodes also made buying tickets faster and easier for everyone.

Over time, entertainment changed a lot. In the 1940s, families listened to the radio. In the 1950s, television became popular, first in black and white and later in color. In the 1970s, electronic games started, and later, small hand-held devices let people play games anywhere. By the end of the 20th century, people could play games and watch shows over networks.

As new technology appeared, older ways of saving and watching entertainment became old-fashioned. For example, television went from being brand new to something found in almost every home, and then to being replaced by other ways to watch shows. Some thought that by 2011, more homes would have a Wii console than had televisions in 1953. The growth of online entertainment brought many changes. It made it harder for governments, businesses, and people to keep up, and even places like hospitals had to think about new ways to entertain patients.

In the 2010s, old ways of recording entertainment, like analogue, were replaced by digital methods. This change affected many areas, including movies. Success used to be decided by how well a movie did in its first weeks, but now movies can make money in many ways, like through DVDs, pay-per-view, and online services. This change isn’t just about technology; it also brings cultural shifts, like how people talk about and share their favorite shows and movies. Entertainment today still includes the same ideas as before—stories, music, theatre, dance, and games—but new ways to enjoy them keep appearing.