Desrtopa comments on Justified Expectation of Pleasant Surprises - Less Wrong
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
Comments (58)
But there are certain contexts where withholding pleasant information is normal, such as a video game where you know your characters are going to get stronger, but don't know the specific abilities they're going to acquire.
If I'm following a story (in nearly any medium) written by someone whose abilities I trust, and there's a persistent mystery in the plot (who was the killer, why does this person have these strange powers, who's this stranger who keeps helping the protagonists and what are their motives, etc.) I can predict that the answer will eventually be revealed, and that I will enjoy learning it. A badly written surprise will be disappointing, but if the story is good, I can predict in advance that the surprises will be enjoyable and usually be right.