The act or art of entertaining.
Entertainment is an important part of life for humans, children and animals. It gives people pleasure and distracts them from difficult or unpleasant tasks; it can be social or physical, intellectual or spiritual. It also prepares people for adult responsibilities or develops skills. While technology has changed the availability, cost and variety of entertainment products, its basic forms are relatively stable – storytelling, music, theatre and games are recognisably the same as they were in earlier centuries.
The famous Scheherazade story, for example, has been retold many times in different mediums – Rimsky-Korsakov and Ravel made orchestral versions, Pasolini made a film and there are innovative computer games based on the tale.