Entertainment has evolved to include entertainment on any scale – from the individual who chooses private entertainment from a now huge array of pre-recorded products; to a dinner party adapted for entertaining two; to a performance designed for thousands. And while it is often associated with pleasure and fun, entertainment may also serve a more serious purpose.
According to Bates and Ferri (2010), entertainment is understood objectively, encompasses communication between text and audience, provides an external stimulus, offers pleasure and involves passivity. For example, the story of Scheherazade in the Persian professional storytelling tradition has been retold many times: composers Rimsky-Korsakov and Ravel wrote orchestral works on the theme; director Pasolini made a film; and innovative video games have drawn inspiration from the tale.