Can You Enjoy a Spoilt Story?

[Sweets]

If it is game of thrones it is ruined if it is something else i usually don't care.

 

[Akuhime-sama]

I never have beaten OoT myself, but I know everything (almost) about it, but I still enjoy the story.
So, no. Spoiled stories don't always ruin stuff for me.

Obviously though, for movies and stuff that's different since it's all about the story.
.... (Games don't get spoiled as easily since there are other factors within a game besides story. -such as gameplay itself)
Sometimes I can have a story ruined for me.... like DEATHNOTE......
(My friend spoiled the ending as I was reading the last few volumes)

 

[Blue Canary]

It really matters. If the the best part of the story is learning the twist, then no, you can't. However, any truly well written story should be about the journey, not the destination, and wether or not you know the story already should be irrelevant.

 

[Fig]

It really depends on the content that I am currently reading/watching/playing. If it is something like Zelda were there is a story behind it and I don't know what it is about (story-wise), then I will make sure that I do not see any spoilers until I have spoiled it for myself by playing the game and learning the story as I progress onward. Now if it is something like Super Smash Bros., I will make sure that I can get every single piece of detail ranging from which characters are going to be in the game, movesets, game physics, stages, everything. The only portion of Smash Bros. that I make sure that I keep away from being spoiled is how to unlock the characters. I find it more enjoyable to unlock characters at random for it gives you such an adrenaline rush when you finally get to face off against the character for the chance to play as them.

Now to something towards the line of manga and anime, I really dislike it when I get spoiled because then it takes away the first expressions that I should have experienced when I was reading or watching the story. That said, it doesn't completely ruin it for me when I get spoiled. I still am able to get something out of it and that's really what matters to me at least. So whether I am spoiled something or not, I will always enjoy my content.

 

[Naruko]

I hate spoilers. I can enjoy something after I've read it/played it/seen it and am rewatching it/replaying it/rereading it. But I hate hate hate!! when people spoil things for me and I try to actively avoid them whenever possible.

If I don't care about whatever's being spoiled, then spoil away.

 

[Justac00lguy]

To a degree, I mean a good story is still a good story, whether you know the outcome or not; however experiencing a good story blind is a much better experience and it stays lodged in your mind for a long time.

I can easily say that some of my favourite stories (movies/games) were all experienced without any previous knowledge of the outcome or general layout of the plot. There was one exception though, Twilight Princess. Sure this game doesn't have some overly complicated story line, but it's still one of my favourites in gaming and I knew the plot outcome prior to playing the game yet I still loved it.

 

[Ganondork]

There was a study awhile ago that showed that people who knew the ending enjoyed the book/movie/video game more because they could appreciate the intricacies more. Instead of focusing on what's going to happen on the end, you can focus more on the small things. The best example of this is Oedipus Rex. Everyone knows the story. Oedipus can't escape fate, kills his father, and then marries his mother. Sophocles' tale of this revelation is that much more interesting due to the dramatic irony - we all know the truth, but they don't. It's a really interesting way to tell a story.

To answer your question, I personally do. If I know the ending, then I pick up on smaller things, subtle foreshadowing, and things of that nature. It's actually a really nice way to read a book/watch a movie/play a video game. I actually rewatch/reread/replay these things in order to achieve a similar effect, but already knowing the ending quickens the process. So when I experience that media a second or third time, I can experience it in an even more thorough light. It's an unorthodox way to do things, but I particularly enjoy it.

There are only a few instances in which I don't particularly appreciate having something spoiled for me. If it's a video game I particularly like - Bioshock, namely - I don't want it spoiled for me. For some reason, I like learning the plot twists firsthand so I can't allow someone to spoil that for me.

 

[SinkingBadges]

To answer your question, I personally do. If I know the ending, then I pick up on smaller things, subtle foreshadowing, and things of that nature. It's actually a really nice way to read a book/watch a movie/play a video game. I actually rewatch/reread/replay these things in order to achieve a similar effect, but already knowing the ending quickens the process. So when I experience that media a second or third time, I can experience it in an even more thorough light. It's an unorthodox way to do things, but I particularly enjoy it.

I'd say something along the same lines as Keith. Actually, a while ago I had a more extreme version of that philosophy whenever I'd consume a story: I remember once wording like "any story that can be ruined by spoilers isn't even worth my time", and I was was every bit as close minded about it as it sounds, even though I still think it's a great way on principle to operate your story consuming (especially for people who plan to be storytellers themselves).

I've taken more of a middle ground about that lately, since saying I never enjoyed the complete whimsy of not knowing what happens would be a complete lie. Unless I have to write a paper or get something in particular out of a story, I'd rather have that as my MO.

 

[Emma]

I'm not going to be happy that they spoiled it for me. I probably won't have as much enjoyment. But, I'll still enjoy it. Exact details are not always important. Some movies, it's pretty obvious how things are going to go. It's only a few that have extremely important details that take a lot way from the plot if they're revealed. Such as the ending to the Sixth Sense, the big revelations in Empire Strikes Back or Star Trek Into Darkness. The plot twists in these movies are far less enjoyable once you know they're there. the very first time, before knowing anything, they're a big shock. Ecstatic fan glee in the case of Into Darkness. Others like your standard action movie like the first Die Hard, you pretty much know just about what's going to go on and spoilers are not a big deal.

So really it depends on the type of movie and the kind of spoiler. Spoiling huge, major plot twists is really a dick move. Into Darkness's plot twist, for example, was spoiled by Amazon.com's product description of the film.