Adventure

Anadventureis an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimesrisky.^[1]Adventures may be activities with danger such astraveling,exploring,skydiving,mountain climbing,scuba diving,river rafting,or otherextreme sports.Adventures are often undertaken to create psychologicalarousalor in order to achieve a greater goal, such as the pursuit ofknowledgethat can only be obtained by such activities.

Motivation[edit]

Adventurous experiences create psychologicalarousal,^[2]which can be interpreted as negative (e.g.fear) or positive (e.g.flow). For some people, adventure becomes a major pursuit in and of itself. According to adventurerAndré Malraux,in hisMan's Fate(1933), "If a man is not ready to risk his life, where is his dignity?"

Similarly,Helen Kellerstated that "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."^[3]

Outdoor adventurous activities are typically undertaken for the purposes ofrecreationorexcitement:examples areadventure racingandadventure tourism.Adventurous activities can also lead to gains in knowledge, such as those undertaken by explorers and pioneers – the British adventurerJason Lewis,for example, uses adventures to draw globalsustainabilitylessons from living within finite environmental constraints on expeditions to share with schoolchildren.Adventure educationintentionally uses challenging experiences forlearning.

AuthorJon Levysuggests that an experience should meet several criteria to be considered an adventure:^[4]

Be remarkable—that is, worth talking about
Involve adversity or perceived risk
Bring about personal growth.

Mythology and fiction[edit]

Some of the oldest and most widespread stories in the world are stories of adventure, such asHomer'sOdyssey.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Theknight errantwas the form the "adventure seeker" character took in theLate Middle Ages.

Adventure fictionexhibits these "protagonist on adventurous journey" characteristics, as do many popular featurefilms,such asStar Wars^[8]andRaiders of the Lost Ark.^[9]

Outdoors[edit]

Adventure books may have the theme of the hero or main character going to face thewildernessorMother Nature.Examples include books such asHatchetorMy Side of the Mountain.These books are less about "questing", such as in mythology or other adventure novels, but more aboutsurvivingon their own, living off the land, gaining new experiences, and becoming closer to the natural world.

Questing[edit]

Many adventures are based on the idea of a quest: the hero goes off in pursuit of a reward, whether it be a skill, prize, treasure, or perhaps the safety of a person. On the way, the hero must overcome various obstacles to obtain their reward.

Video games[edit]

Invideo game culture,an adventure game is avideo gamein which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration andpuzzle solving.^[10]Thegenre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from othernarrative-based media,literatureandfilm,encompassing a wide variety of literary genres. Many adventure games (textandgraphic) are designed for a single player, since this emphasis on story and character makes multi-player design difficult.^[11]

Nonfiction works[edit]

From ancient times, travelers and explorers have written about their adventures.^[12]Journals which became best-sellers in their day were written, such asMarco Polo's journalThe Travels of Marco PoloorMark Twain'sRoughing It.Others were personal journals, only later published, such as the journals ofMeriwether LewisandWilliam ClarkorCaptain James Cook's journals. There are also books written by those not directly a part of the adventure in question, such asThe Right StuffbyTom Wolfeor books written by those participating in the adventure but in a format other than that of a journal, such asConquistadors of the UselessbyLionel Terray.Documentaries often use the theme of adventure as well.

Adventure sports[edit]

There are many sports classified as adventure sports, due to their inherent danger and excitement. Some of these includemountain climbing,skydiving,or otherextreme sports.

References[edit]

^"Adventure".dictionary.Archivedfrom the original on 5 March 2016.Retrieved13 June2013.
^Gomà-i-Freixanet, M (2004)."Sensation Seeking and Participation in Physical Risk Sports".On the psychobiology of personality.Elsevier. p. 187.ISBN 978-0-08-044209-9.
^Keller, Helen (1957).The Open Door.Garden City, N.Y. Doubleday.
^Snow, Shane (2 December 2016)."The Science of the Perfect Night Out".GQ.Archivedfrom the original on 12 February 2019.Retrieved10 February2019.
^Mansbach, Adam (12 February 2010)."Odysseus Remixed".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon 1 January 2022.
^Jenkyns, Richard (22 December 1996)."Heroic Enterprise – (Book review: The Odyssey translated by Robert Fagles)".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 6 August 2013.Retrieved13 June2013.
^Zweig, Paul(1999).The adventurer.Akadine Press.ISBN 1-888173-72-6.OCLC 61858818.
^Canby, Vincent (26 May 1977)."A Trip to a Far Galaxy That's Fun and Funny".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 14 December 2018.Retrieved14 December2018.
^Canby, Vincent (12 June 1981)."Movie Review: Raiders of the Lost Ark".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 7 October 2013.Retrieved4 February2017.
^Adams, Ernest (29 December 1999)."The Designer's Notebook: Three Problems for Interactive Storytellers".Game Developer.p. 43.Archivedfrom the original on 10 May 2010.Retrieved9 June2010.
^Hitchens, Joe (2002). "Special Issues in Multi player Game Design". In Laramée, François-Dominic (ed.).Game Design Perspectives.Charles River Media. p. 258.ISBN 1584500905.
^"16 Famous Explorers and Their Incredible Stories".The Art of Travel: Wander, Explore, Discover.4 December 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 19 December 2021.Retrieved19 December2021.

External links[edit]

Martin FeeneyGoing on a journey: Life in Year 10
Website of the Research Unit "Philology of Adventure":ongoing research project on the literary history of the adventure pattern
What is an adventure?A definition of "adventure", "hero" and "epic" with an illustration of the hero's journey.
Wikivoyage

[1] "Adventure".dictionary.Archivedfrom the original on 5 March 2016.Retrieved13 June2013.

[2] Gomà-i-Freixanet, M (2004)."Sensation Seeking and Participation in Physical Risk Sports".On the psychobiology of personality.Elsevier. p. 187.ISBN 978-0-08-044209-9.

[3] Keller, Helen (1957).The Open Door.Garden City, N.Y. Doubleday.

[4] Snow, Shane (2 December 2016)."The Science of the Perfect Night Out".GQ.Archivedfrom the original on 12 February 2019.Retrieved10 February2019.

[5] Mansbach, Adam (12 February 2010)."Odysseus Remixed".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon 1 January 2022.

[6] Jenkyns, Richard (22 December 1996)."Heroic Enterprise – (Book review: The Odyssey translated by Robert Fagles)".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 6 August 2013.Retrieved13 June2013.

[7] Zweig, Paul(1999).The adventurer.Akadine Press.ISBN 1-888173-72-6.OCLC 61858818.

[8] Canby, Vincent (26 May 1977)."A Trip to a Far Galaxy That's Fun and Funny".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 14 December 2018.Retrieved14 December2018.

[9] Canby, Vincent (12 June 1981)."Movie Review: Raiders of the Lost Ark".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 7 October 2013.Retrieved4 February2017.

[10] Adams, Ernest (29 December 1999)."The Designer's Notebook: Three Problems for Interactive Storytellers".Game Developer.p. 43.Archivedfrom the original on 10 May 2010.Retrieved9 June2010.

[11] Hitchens, Joe (2002). "Special Issues in Multi player Game Design". In Laramée, François-Dominic (ed.).Game Design Perspectives.Charles River Media. p. 258.ISBN 1584500905.

[12] "16 Famous Explorers and Their Incredible Stories".The Art of Travel: Wander, Explore, Discover.4 December 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 19 December 2021.Retrieved19 December2021.

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