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Played-in: an introduction to the power of play

Play, as a concept, a design tool, and an experience, is vital in understanding ourselves and the world around us.

Diagram representing presential play and social interaction

What can play teach us about ourselves and the world around us?


Play is more than recreational; it is a powerful tool for understanding, adaptation, and exploration. Across the natural world, play has been observed countless times, manifesting in fascinating ways:


Seals surfing waves
Seals surfing waves (Dukehart, 2014).
Crows slide down snowy surfaces
Crows slide down snowy surfaces (Emery, 2012).
Otters juggle small stones
Otters juggle small stones (Allison et al., 2020).

Play is an evolutionary mechanism for relief, curiosity, exploration, experimentation, discovery, and most importantly, connection. New perspectives are emerging around the idea that play, as a concept, a design tool, and an experience, is vital in understanding ourselves and the world around us. Play shapes our minds, expands our knowledge, and influences culture. As fundamental as it is misunderstood, play is only scratching the surface of what it can do for us.


In the human world, play has led to extraordinary outcomes. Gamers have solved complex protein-folding puzzles that stumped researchers for decades (Koepnick et al., 2019; Bohannon, 2010). Research suggests that playing Tetris shortly after experiencing a traumatic event may reduce the likelihood of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Butler et al., 2020; Iyadurai et al., 2018). Meanwhile, studies on doll play reveal its role in children's empathy and social understanding (Hashmi et al., 2022; Gerson et al., 2024). In larps (live-action role play), adults around the world embody characters and navigate fictional scenarios, sometimes grappling with ethical dilemmas, challenging interpersonal dynamics, and facing uncomfortable situations that reflect real-life complexities. As a relatively new playform, larp has evolved an intricate and unique culture of care, collaboration, and trust (Losilla, 2024; Vejdemo, 2018).


Play can transform how we engage with the world and each other. It inspires us to cooperate, embrace uncertainty, create new worlds, and develop a sense of individual and collective identity, qualities that are increasingly critical in today's unpredictable world. Play has multiple practical applications and benefits; most importantly, it helps us pursue a higher interest in the things around us. When we play, we engage fully with life and its dimensions to reach the most profound truths in ordinary things. Play is not just an escape from reality; it is a speculative tool for reimagining the future, shaping culture, and revealing new truths. New truths can arise through a dialectic between play and reality; playing is a way to meet the world.


Kubrick, S. (1980). The Shining. Warner Bros. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, an old English proverb from the 1600s.

We cannot have a passive relationship with the systems that we inhabit. We must learn to be designers, to recognise how and why systems are constructed, and to try to make them better. —Eric Zimmerman, Manifesto for a Ludic Century (2014).

The text is based on a presentation created for the Edu-Larp Conference 2025 (Oslo, Norway). Later presented at SIEF2025, writing - Unwriting through play and games – ludic approaches to creative ethnographies in Aberdeen, Scotland.



Tiz Creel of Living Things Studio ©2025


Thank you for reading 🫀


Keep it playful.



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