The subject I'm about to talk about comes from an article published in the Ohio State research news. The research mainly focuses on books, but there are other mediums that are as immersive or even more so, like anime, manga, or video games, that we could be assumed to have this experience-taking effect as well.
The best example for this would be Katawa Shoujo, which is a visual novel, essentially a mix of a video game and a book. I've been wondering for a while why so many people felt so inspired to do something based on the routes they have taken, and experience-taking seem to be what I was looking for.
“Experience-taking can be a powerful way to change our behavior and thoughts in meaningful and beneficial ways,” said Lisa Libby, co-author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University.
I've played three of the five routes, Emi, Lilly, and Shizune, and each story has had some influence on the way I think, but not to the point where I would be inspired to do something like taking up running in the case of Emi's route. I was far more interested in figuring out how things that you experience daily, sight, hearing, etc. are perceived and the way they work around their lack of these senses
Also speaking on the terms of the game, some people also began to become more tolerance or understanding of the different types of people. This isn't at all foreign to me because when people are exposed to something that they never experiences, they tend to come out changed for the good. This is no different from what a separate experiment, but also mention in the article concluded.
In another experiment, people who went through this experience-taking process while reading about a character who was revealed to be of a different race or sexual orientation showed more favorable attitudes toward the other group and were less likely to stereotype.
In Katawa Shoujo you are exposed to many people that are different from you, however it is their disabilities rather than race or sexual orientation. It is presented in a way that doesn't focus on the disability, rather the characters themselves and the disability being something apart of their life. Essentially being exposed to something that some people would feel uncomfortable being around and normalizes it.
If you ever get a chance, read the full article and think about some game, book, video, etc. that you might have had experience-taking occur to you. Also check out Katawa Shoujo if like a good story to ponder about and maybe you will have some kinds of new insight into the several routes available.