# Adventure > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Adventure > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Adventure.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure > Source revision: 1349515257 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Exciting or unusual experience}} {{Redirect2|Adventurer|Adventures||Adventure (disambiguation)|and|Adventurer (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}} An '''adventure''' is a novel and exciting undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes [risk](/source/risk)y.{{Cite web |title=Adventure |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/adventure |access-date=13 June 2013 |website=dictionary.com |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305153325/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/adventure |url-status=live }} Adventures may be activities with danger such as [traveling](/source/traveling), [exploring](/source/exploring), [skydiving](/source/skydiving), [mountain climbing](/source/mountain_climbing), [scuba diving](/source/scuba_diving), [river rafting](/source/river_rafting), other [extreme sports](/source/extreme_sports), or, importantly, any other activity that may be new, fresh or difficult and may even lead to failure. Adventure can take many forms beyond the typically described outdoor area. Adventures are often undertaken to create psychological [arousal](/source/arousal) or in order to achieve a greater goal, such as the pursuit of [knowledge](/source/knowledge) that can only be obtained by such activities. ==Motivation== Adventurous experiences create psychological [arousal](/source/arousal),{{Cite book |last=Gomà-i-Freixanet |first=M |title=On the psychobiology of personality |publisher=Elsevier |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-08-044209-9 |page=187 |chapter=Sensation Seeking and Participation in Physical Risk Sports |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6YjcgAn8TfsC&pg=PA187}} which can be interpreted as negative (e.g. [fear](/source/fear)) or positive (e.g. [flow](/source/flow_(psychology))). For some people, adventure becomes a major pursuit in and of itself. According to adventurer [André Malraux](/source/Andr%C3%A9_Malraux), in his ''[Man's Fate](/source/Man's_Fate)'' (1933), "If a man is not ready to risk his life, where is his dignity?" Similarly, [Helen Keller](/source/Helen_Keller) stated that "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."{{Cite book |last=Keller |first=Helen |url=https://archive.org/details/opendoor00kell |title=The Open Door |publisher=Garden City, N.Y. Doubleday |year=1957 |url-access=registration}} Outdoor adventurous activities are typically undertaken for the purposes of [recreation](/source/recreation) or excitement: examples are [adventure racing](/source/adventure_racing) and [adventure tourism](/source/Adventure_travel). Adventurous activities can also lead to gains in knowledge, such as those undertaken by explorers and pioneers{{snd}}the British adventurer [Jason Lewis](/source/Jason_Lewis_(adventurer)), for example, uses adventures to draw global [sustainability](/source/sustainability) lessons from living within finite environmental constraints on expeditions to share with schoolchildren. [Adventure education](/source/Adventure_education) intentionally uses challenging experiences for [learning](/source/learning). Author [Jon Levy](/source/Jon_Levy_(behaviorist)) suggests that an experience should meet several criteria to be considered an adventure:{{Cite web |last=Snow |first=Shane |date=2 December 2016 |title=The Science of the Perfect Night Out |url=https://www.gq.com/story/science-of-the-best-night-ever |access-date=10 February 2019 |website=GQ |language=en |archive-date=12 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212011607/https://www.gq.com/story/science-of-the-best-night-ever |url-status=live }} # Be remarkable—that is, worth talking about # Involve adversity or perceived risk # Bring about personal growth. ==Mythology and fiction== Some of the oldest and most widespread stories in the world are stories of adventure, such as [Homer](/source/Homer)'s ''[Odyssey](/source/The_Odyssey)''.{{Cite news |last=Mansbach |first=Adam |date=12 February 2010 |title=Odysseus Remixed |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/books/review/Mansbach-t.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/books/review/Mansbach-t.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite news |last=Jenkyns |first=Richard |date=22 December 1996 |title=Heroic Enterprise – (Book review: The Odyssey translated by Robert Fagles) |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/05/31/reviews/fagles-odyssey.html |access-date=13 June 2013 |archive-date=6 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806225451/http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/05/31/reviews/fagles-odyssey.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite book |last=Zweig |first=Paul |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/61858818 |title=The adventurer |date=1999 |publisher=Akadine Press |isbn=1-888173-72-6 |oclc=61858818 |author-link=Paul Zweig}} The [knight errant](/source/knight_errant) was the form the "adventure seeker" character took in the [Late Middle Ages](/source/Late_Middle_Ages). [Adventure fiction](/source/adventure_novel) exhibits these "protagonist on adventurous journey" characteristics, as do many popular feature [films](/source/Adventure_film), such as ''[Star Wars](/source/Star_Wars_(film))''{{Cite news |last=Canby |first=Vincent |date=26 May 1977 |title=A Trip to a Far Galaxy That's Fun and Funny |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/26/archives/star-wars-a-trip-to-a-far-galaxy-thats-fun-and-funny.html |access-date=14 December 2018 |archive-date=14 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214163955/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/26/archives/star-wars-a-trip-to-a-far-galaxy-thats-fun-and-funny.html |url-status=live }} and ''[Raiders of the Lost Ark](/source/Raiders_of_the_Lost_Ark)''.{{Cite news |last=Canby |first=Vincent |date=12 June 1981 |title=Movie Review: Raiders of the Lost Ark |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF173AA42CA1494CC6B6799D836896 |access-date=4 February 2017 |archive-date=7 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007224442/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF173AA42CA1494CC6B6799D836896 |url-status=live }} [[File:Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Carroll, Robinson - S001 - Cover.jpg|thumb|right|[Lewis Carroll](/source/Lewis_Carroll)'s ''[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland](/source/Alice's_Adventures_in_Wonderland)'' is a well-known example of a fantasized adventure story.]] [Marvel Comics](/source/Marvel_Comics), [DC Comics](/source/DC_Comics), and other [comic book](/source/comic_book) publishers often use "adventurer"—or, in some cases, "costumed adventurer" or "superhuman adventurer"—as a synonym for "super-hero." ===Outdoors=== Adventure books may have the theme of the hero or main character going to face the [wilderness](/source/wilderness) or [Mother Nature](/source/Mother_Nature). Examples include books such as ''[Hatchet](/source/Hatchet_(book))'' or ''[My Side of the Mountain](/source/My_Side_of_the_Mountain)''. These books are less about "questing", such as in mythology or other adventure novels, but more about [surviving](/source/Survival_skills) on their own, living off the land, gaining new experiences, and becoming closer to the natural world. ===Questing=== 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=== {{See also|Adventure game}} In [video game culture](/source/video_game_culture), an adventure game is a [video game](/source/video_game) in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and [puzzle solving](/source/Puzzle).{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Ernest |date=29 December 1999 |title=The Designer's Notebook: Three Problems for Interactive Storytellers |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-designer-s-notebook-three-problems-for-interactive-storytellers-resolved |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510155724/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3414/the_designers_notebook_three_.php |archive-date=10 May 2010 |access-date=9 June 2010 |website=[Game Developer](/source/Game_Developer_(website)) |page=43}} The [genre](/source/Video_game_genres)'s focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other [narrative](/source/narrative)-based media, [literature](/source/literature) and [film](/source/film), encompassing a wide variety of literary genres. Many adventure games ([text](/source/List_of_text-based_computer_games) and [graphic](/source/List_of_graphic_adventure_games)) are designed for a single player, since this emphasis on story and character makes multi-player design difficult.{{Cite book |last=Hitchens |first=Joe |title=Game Design Perspectives |publisher=Charles River Media |year=2002 |isbn=1584500905 |editor-last=Laramée |editor-first=François-Dominic |page=258 |chapter=Special Issues in Multi player Game Design}} ==Nonfiction works== From ancient times, travelers and explorers have written about their adventures.{{Cite web|date=2018-12-04|title=16 Famous Explorers and Their Incredible Stories|url=https://artoftravel.tips/famous-explorers-their-incredible-stories/|access-date=2021-12-19|website=The Art of Travel: Wander, Explore, Discover|language=en-US|archive-date=19 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219141531/https://artoftravel.tips/famous-explorers-their-incredible-stories/|url-status=live}} Journals which became best-sellers in their day were written, such as [Marco Polo](/source/Marco_Polo)'s journal ''[The Travels of Marco Polo](/source/The_Travels_of_Marco_Polo)'' or [Mark Twain](/source/Mark_Twain)'s ''[Roughing It](/source/Roughing_It)''. Others were personal journals, only later published, such as the journals of [Meriwether Lewis](/source/Meriwether_Lewis) and [William Clark](/source/William_Clark) or [Captain James Cook](/source/Captain_James_Cook)'s journals. There are also books written by those not directly a part of the adventure in question, such as ''[The Right Stuff](/source/The_Right_Stuff_(book))'' by [Tom Wolfe](/source/Tom_Wolfe) or books written by those participating in the adventure but in a format other than that of a journal, such as ''Conquistadors of the Useless'' by [Lionel Terray](/source/Lionel_Terray). Documentaries often use the theme of adventure as well. ==Adventure sports == {{Main|Extreme sport}} There are many sports classified as adventure sports, due to their inherent danger and excitement. Some of these include [mountain climbing](/source/mountain_climbing), [skydiving](/source/skydiving), or other [extreme sports](/source/extreme_sports).{{Cite journal |last1=Cohen |first1=Rhonda |last2=Baluch |first2=Bahman |last3=Duffy |first3=Linda J. |date=2018-10-18 |title=Defining Extreme Sport: Conceptions and Misconceptions |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |volume=9 |pages=1974 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01974 |issn=1664-1078 |pmc=6200847 |pmid=30405477 |doi-access=free}} ==Vehicles== *[Adventure motorcycle](/source/Touring_motorcycle) *[Adventure van](/source/Conversion_van) *[Adventure vehicle](/source/Off-road_vehicle) ==See also== {{portal|Sports}} * [Adventure film](/source/Adventure_film) * [Adventure playground](/source/Adventure_playground) * [Adventure travel](/source/Adventure_travel) * [Expedition](/source/Exploration) * [Exploration](/source/Exploration) * [Filibuster (military)](/source/Filibuster_(military)) * [List of genres](/source/List_of_genres) * [Novelty seeking](/source/Novelty_seeking) * [Overlanding](/source/Overlanding) * [Sports](/source/Sports) * [Tourism](/source/Tourism) ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==External links == {{Commons category}} {{Wikiquote}} * [http://www.en.abenteuer.fak13.uni-muenchen.de/index.html Website of the Research Unit "Philology of Adventure"]: ongoing research project on the literary history of the adventure * [Wikivoyage](/source/voy%3AMain_Page) {{Authority control}} Category:Adventure --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Adventure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.