Key Moments
Can Play Change the World? | Play@TED Full Event | TED, the LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation
TEDx TalksKey Moments
Over 70% of adults worldwide no longer prioritize play, leading to a 'play deprivation crisis' that stunts creativity and resilience — but restoring play, even in small, unconventional ways, is vital for individual flourishing and a more adaptable society, as demonstrated by everything from urban planning to computer science.
Key Insights
Over 70% of adults globally have stopped engaging in play, leading to a 'play deprivation crisis' that results in chronic burnout and rigid societal institutions, according to creativity expert Kina Bajage.
Play is fundamentally about 'making special' for no functional reason; early human societies, as studied by anthropologist Ellen Dissanayake, incorporated playful touches (like decorated tools) into daily life, demonstrating play's inherent, species-wide role in bonding and adaptation.
Imaginary companions, often created by 3-4 year olds who lack similarly aged siblings (a 2004 study noting 67% of US kids under 8 had them), help children safely explore emotions, practice conflict resolution, and develop 'theory of mind' for empathy, without parents needing to intervene.
Innovation is often driven by play, not necessity; programmable computers, for example, evolved not from military tech but from musical instruments like automated organs and toy robot flutists, as these 'frivolous' inventions explored new possibilities in code and mechanics over 700 years.
Traditional playgrounds, with their 'low affordance' structures like slides, limit open-ended interaction; modern adventure playgrounds, like Berlin's Kolle 37, feature high-affordance elements (scrap tools, natural landscapes) that encourage 'risky play,' which studies show leads to better judgment and confidence in managing actual risks.
Engaging with content in a 'co-viewing' manner, where parents actively participate by pausing videos to ask questions or transition to real-world activities, transforms screen time from passive consumption into an interactive learning experience, according to early childhood educator Monica J. Sutton.
A global play deprivation crisis threatens creativity and societal adaptability
Kina Bajage, a human creativity expert and co-founder of Daydreamers, illuminates a pervasive modern phenomenon she terms the 'play deprivation crisis.' While many associate play with childhood or optional silliness, Bajage's research, involving thousands of individuals, reveals that up to 70% of adults worldwide have ceased engaging in true play. Scientific analysis defines play not as a specific activity, but as an approach characterized by intrinsic motivation and the freedom to act without a predetermined outcome. This fundamental human capacity, often replaced by a focus on efficiency and achievement, results in significant individual and societal consequences, including chronic stress, burnout, and increasingly rigid, polarized institutions. The long-term impact is a loss of essential survival skills like adaptability, imagination, and a sense of aliveness. Restoring play, therefore, isn't about adding another item to an already packed schedule, but about integrating a playful mindset into daily life, particularly at work, before sleep, and in public spaces. This involves re-embracing activities like mind-wandering and experimentation, which, while appearing unproductive, activate the 'default mode network' in the brain, crucial for creative problem-solving and connecting disparate ideas, as exemplified by figures like Albert Einstein.
Play as a universal human trait and a catalyst for 'making special'
The capacity for play is not a learned behavior but an intrinsic human trait that has existed 'since the beginning of our species,' as highlighted by Kina Bajage. Anthropologist Ellen Dissanayake's work on early human societies reveals the concept of 'making special'—the inherent drive to add playful touches to ordinary aspects of life 'for no functional or productive reason, just because.' This is evident in the intricate decorations on ancient tools, the beadwork on clothing, and the universal practices of dance and storytelling. This innate playful spirit, which helps humanity bond, adapt, and find meaning through life's challenges, is a responsibility to keep alive in contemporary society. Even small acts of playful rebellion, such as laughing first at a street musician or engaging with unexpected public art, can be contagious, amplifying a sense of community and wonder that counteracts cultural rigidity and polarization.
Play in trauma recovery: The Rohingya humanitarian play lab
Iram Mariam, executive director of the BRAC Institute of Educational Development, underscores play's critical role in trauma recovery, particularly for vulnerable children. Her work in refugee camps, such as Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, following the 2017 Rohingya genocide, revealed that generic play items like Scrabble or Uno were ineffective. Instead, children thrived with games and art rooted in their own Rohingya culture, which fostered pride, confidence, and joy. The 'humanitarian play lab' model, initiated in Cox's Bazar and serving 50,000 children across 350 labs, provides welcoming spaces adorned with familiar cultural imagery. Here, young Rohingya women facilitate play for up to five hours daily, supported by psychosocial professionals. Examples include 'Roshi Fal Dani,' a traditional rope game that transformed an undernourished eight-year-old, Nur, into a physically stronger, more confident child, and the 'kabia' rhyme, which helped a shy four-year-old, Tuhinur, become an assertive leader. This approach demonstrates that culturally relevant play offers not just recovery, but also strengthens essential social-emotional skills, empowering children to enroll in school with newfound confidence and a strong sense of cultural identity, proving that 'every child everywhere deserves the right to play their own play.'
Imaginary friends: A normal and beneficial aspect of child development
Imaginary companions serve as a significant, and often misunderstood, part of psychological development. Typically invented by children aged three to four, especially those without siblings of a similar age, these invisible or personified figures (e.g., stuffed animals brought to life) are not a sign of shyness but rather a manifestation of an outgoing nature and a love for make-believe. A 2004 study found that approximately 67% of U.S. children under eight had imaginary companions, with variations in form (e.g., personified objects being more common in Japan). These companions fulfill diverse roles beyond just 'friends,' acting as confidants, scapegoats, or even figures of fear. Critically, children consistently know these characters are imaginary, maintaining full control. This control allows them to safely experiment with intense emotions, negotiate conflict, and explore empathy on their own terms, acting as a crucial practice ground for social interactions and emotional regulation. This pretend play strengthens a child's 'theory of mind'—the ability to understand and predict others' mental states—a skill with lifelong benefits for empathy and relationship building.
Play fuels innovation: From flutes to modern computers
Steven Johnson argues that necessity is not always the mother of invention; rather, a 'playful state of mind' is often the true catalyst for groundbreaking technologies. He cites the astonishing example of early humans crafting flutes from animal bones 40,000 years ago—a 'useless' invention by utilitarian standards, yet one that laid foundational principles. This playful exploration eventually led to the musical keyboard, which, by the mid-19th century, transformed into the typewriter. More profoundly, music-making machines, like the automated organ designed by three brothers in Baghdad a thousand years ago, introduced the concept of 'programmable' devices using coded cylinders. This 'hardware-software' thinking, exclusively kept alive by music for 700 years, eventually inspired inventors like Jacquard, with his punch-card looms, and Charles Babbage, who created the first true programmable computer. This historical trajectory reveals that many 'frivolous' inventions, born from delight and amusement, ultimately spark momentous transformations, demonstrating how watching a machine play music could be the precursor to a technological revolution.
Rule-breaking play in sports and art drives evolution
Maxwell Pierce, a Harlem Globetrotter and mixed-media artist, articulates how play, creativity, and rule-breaking are 'the most important ingredient in every person and every industry's evolution.' He recounts how his high school coaches constrained his natural playfulness, even banning dunking, reflecting a historical NCAA ban for nine years. However, embracing this 'playful mindset' led him to excel in dunking, eventually featuring his dunks in video games like NBA Live and earning an honourable mention for an ESPY award. The Globetrotters themselves exemplify this, often turning mistakes into playful new directions, which fosters an adaptive, innovative spirit. As an artist, Pierce extends this philosophy by using unconventional materials, such as cut-up basketballs or shoelaces, to create mixed-media pieces. These materials, imbued with personal stories and connections from his athletic journey, are transformed through play into new forms that 'communicate identity.' This unique blend of sports and art demonstrates that playful experimentation breaks traditional boundaries, advancing both creative fields and offering a platform for self-expression.
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Common Questions
Creative health is a core part of well-being, defined by Kina Bajage. She states that the best strategy to strengthen creative health is through play, especially for adults. This type of play involves intrinsic motivation and the freedom not to know the outcome, leading to deeper fulfillment, stronger resilience, and more original ideas.
Topics
Mentioned in this video
Host of Ted's 'How to Be a Better Human' podcast and a comedian, serving as the host for the Play at TED event.
A human creativity expert and co-founder of Daydreamers, who coined the term 'creative health' and advocates for play as a strategy to strengthen it.
A renowned physicist who credited his innovative ideas to thought experiments, not desk work, supporting the idea of playful thinking.
A philosopher who warned that a culture losing play can become brittle and polarized, unable to cope with change.
An anthropologist who coined the term 'making special' to describe the human capacity for playful touches beyond functional purposes in early societies.
A 16-year-old artist famous online for his doodling, who uses his imagination as the true driver of his creations and warns against over-reliance on AI.
Founder of BRAC, who did groundbreaking work for vulnerable children and encouraged Iram Mariam to focus on play for younger kids.
An award-winning self-taught illustrator, animator, and storyteller known for her hand-drawn and animated worlds, emphasizing curiosity and joy in her creative process.
An early childhood educator and YouTube creator ('Miss Monica') who teaches preschool skills globally through fun, interactive lessons, and singing.
Author of 'The Most Human Human,' a book discussing his experience in a Turing Test competition as a human aiming to be perceived as human.
The terrifying antagonist in 'Matilda,' whose appearance on stage led to a humorous mishap during a scene.
A London-based designer whose Nike Zoom Vomero shoe inspired Salehe Bembury to think about adding functional elements to unused areas of footwear.
Mentioned for his quote about creating most freely when feeling like a three-year-old, without boundaries or restrictions.
A classical composer whose 'Prelude and Fugue' was performed by Maria Tlesha on the accordion.
A German educator who developed the concept of kindergarten in the 19th century, advocating for play-based learning with specially designed toys.
A leading international scholar on children's agency in education, co-founder of the International Playworld Network, and a leader of the Child Research Group at the University of Helsinki.
A designer who created the stage project inspired by his child's creativity.
A TED speaker who discusses how some of humanity's most innovative technologies originated from playful exploration rather than necessity.
An industrial designer and fine artist known for elevating footwear to an art form, creating iconic designs for major brands and running his own brand, Sponge.
A composer whose 'Moments Musicaux' was performed by Maria Tlesha on the accordion.
The famous mathematician after whom the Turing Test is named, developed as a test of machine intelligence.
A character from a Slavic folktale used in a play world example, where children collaboratively wrote their own resolution.
Executive Director of the BRAC Institute of Educational Development, she champions the right to play for every child, particularly vulnerable children in refugee camps.
An award-winning artist and Harlem Globetrotter, who believes play is essential for evolution in every industry, breaking rules to improve both sports and art.
A Swedish inventor and YouTuber, founder of YET Studios, known for her playful design process and unique jigsaw puzzles.
A brilliant French inventor who designed an automated flute player robot, inspiring the first programmable loom.
A French inventor who improved upon Vaucanson's loom by using paper punched cards, inspiring the first true programmable computer.
A Victorian inventor inspired by Jacquard's punch card system to create his analytical engine, the first true programmable computer.
Creator of 'The Dad Lab' YouTube channel, offering trusted STEM activities for children and parents, emphasizing simple yet exciting experiments.
An American historical figure who, according to a possibly apocryphal story, used the single-cut folding technique to make stars for the American flag.
A Danish landscape architect who in the 1930s invented the concept of 'junk playgrounds' after observing children playing in old building sites.
A play researcher who argues that 'risky play' is essential for children to develop better judgment and confidence.
An 11-year-old lead actor in 'Matilda the Musical' in London's West End, who emphasizes imagination's role in building reality, even on stage.
A character in 'Matilda' who offers kindness to Matilda, resulting in an onstage mishap where Suki Hillier's hair got tangled in Miss Honey's necklace.
The design director of Versace who responded to Salehe Bembury's proposal and eventually hired him to create a sneaker program.
An NBA player for whom Salehe Bembury designed his first signature sneaker, the Halley 1, in collaboration with Puma.
A 18-year-old high school student and professional accordion player from Eugene, Oregon, co-founder of Accordion Star International Competition, showcasing the instrument's versatility.
Swiss psychologist who formally charted the timeline of infant cognitive and motor development in 1936, providing a framework for understanding games like peek-a-boo.
A magician reportedly known for doing magic tricks involving folding paper and cutting it once to create shapes.
Author of the book 'Matilda,' which inspired 'Matilda the Musical'.
Referenced for his philosophy that consumers don't know what they want until you show it to them, paralleling the initial reception of Salehe Bembury's Crocs Plex.
An educator who guided Mila Rojas as a student talks participant, shaping her perspective on play at TED.
A fifth-grade student and youth speaker who emphasizes that adults need to incorporate more play into their daily lives for deeper family connections and overall well-being.
A 14-year-old origami innovator from New York City who uses origami to stretch creativity, help others, and make scientific discoveries, including optimizing the Miura-ori fold.
A Japanese astrophysicist who invented the Miura-ori fold in the 1970s, a tessellation with practical engineering applications.
A band whose music Maria Tlesha enjoys playing on the accordion, alongside classical and rock music.
A game designer, founding faculty member at NYU Game Center, and co-founder of Game Lab Studio, who discusses how rules facilitate play and creativity.
An architect with whom Eric Zimmerman collaborates on large-scale museum installations, bridging architecture and game design.
An AI researcher who worked at MIT's Media Lab and is a professor at Carnegie Mellon's Human-Computer Interaction Institute, focusing on children's relationships with AI.
A Swedish scholar who originally developed the concept of 'play worlds' for educational settings.
A platform co-founded by Kina Bajage that explores how creativity supports human health and flourishing, and where they study optimal ways to play.
A brand with which Salehe Bembury has collaborated, designing the Halley 1, Tyrese Haliburton's first signature sneaker.
A social media platform possibly used by Salehe Bembury for outreach during unemployment.
A sneaker brand mentioned as part of the mass education that fashion houses can make sneakers.
A fashion house mentioned as part of the mass education that fashion houses can make sneakers.
A sports media and entertainment company known for inspiring play through compelling content, primarily targeting 6-14 year olds with trick shots and antics.
A brand with which Salehe Bembury has collaborated on iconic designs, including outdoor shoes and the 574 Yurt shoe with a whistle.
Salehe Bembury's own brand, which he runs after years of working with other major brands.
A Chinese brand with which Salehe Bembury had his first scratch collaboration, introducing his design to the footwear industry.
A resale site where Salehe Bembury's 'Peace Be the Journey' shoe is still sold at a markup due to its enduring popularity.
The company founded by Simone Giertz, where she designs playful and innovative products.
A high fashion brand for whom Salehe Bembury created shoe designs, initially by cold-emailing Donatella Versace.
A professional networking platform used by Salehe Bembury for outreach during unemployment, leading to his job offer from Versace.
A sneaker brand mentioned as part of the mass education that fashion houses can make sneakers.
A high fashion brand for which Salehe Bembury created a shoe representing the feeling of being financially stuck, using silicone as a solution.
A toy robot car that children probe with seemingly absurd questions to understand its nature, demonstrating natural reverse engineering.
A media company that named Rachel Riyle's Instagram account the number one to follow in 2013.
The company where Salehe Bembury started his career as a footwear designer in 2009.
A grocery store where Miles Woo practices spontaneous origami by transforming a sample cup into a crane while waiting in line.
A CD belonging to Kina Bajage, signaling her childhood ritual of attempting to play post-homework.
A segment on ESPN where Maxwell Pierce's dunks were featured, leading to an honorable mention for an ESPY award.
A musical based on Roald Dahl's book, performed at the Cambridge Theatre in London's West End, where Suki Hillier plays the lead role.
A charming stop-motion treat, a video about making a PB&J sandwich, created by students of FC Academy.
A video game series in which Maxwell Pierce had the opportunity to feature his unique dunks.
A magazine where Maxwell Pierce's dunks were featured, showcasing his global reputation as a dunker.
A television show that contacted Dude Perfect after their first viral video, leading to their broader recognition.
A YouTube channel hosted by Sergey Urban, focusing on simple, exciting, and accessible STEM activities for parents and children.
Monica J. Sutton's YouTube channel, where she shares her classroom and teaches preschool skills through singing, dancing, and play.
A favorite original song by Miss Monica, which she literally sings in the classroom with her students to engage them.
A music series where Maria Tlesha had the privilege of performing J.S. Bach's 'Prelude and Fugue' on accordion.
A video game series in which Maxwell Pierce had the opportunity to feature his unique dunks.
A children's game show that Alex Rosenthal introduced to his daughter, inspiring them to create their own episode and imaginative play experience.
Miss Monica's favorite original song, which is her take on 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'.
A newspaper that Miles Woo transforms into a lizard through origami, demonstrating his ability to use any scrap of paper for his art.
Dolls with which Kina Bajage recounted playing with as a child, often turning it into a serious 'emergency room doctor' scenario.
Building blocks used as stage props and in games throughout the event, highlighting their role in fostering creativity and play.
A company Rachel Riyle has partnered with to create educational videos challenging children to grow creatively through play.
A New Balance shoe designed by Salehe Bembury, inspired by Antelope Canyon, and still popular on resale sites for its storytelling appeal.
Magnetic building toys used to construct a castle in Alex Rosenthal's living room, which become enemies with a Duplo brick castle in imaginative play.
A New Balance shoe designed by Salehe Bembury with a whistle on the heel, a functional and innovative addition.
A jigsaw game designed by Alex Rosenthal that challenges traditional puzzle-solving methods by not allowing players to start with the edges.
Larger Lego bricks for younger children, mentioned in the context of a castle built by Alex Rosenthal's daughter.
A Nike shoe with a molded plastic piece on the back, inspiring Salehe Bembury's idea of adding functional elements to footwear.
A specific sneaker model that Salehe Bembury recreated out of clay when he was nine years old, symbolizing his deep passion for footwear design.
A fluffy, adorable social robot worked on by Randy Williams at MIT, designed to help young children learn how to read by keeping them engaged in stories.
A Crocs shoe designed by Salehe Bembury, based on his own fingerprint mold, and representing a collaboration where he manipulated the form of the Croc from scratch.
A New Balance project designed by Salehe Bembury, inspired by the pink sand dunes in Utah, telling a story through color and material.
A social robot with a body made of Lego bricks, designed by Randy Williams to make complex AI concepts understandable through hands-on, child-driven play.
A common item that Miles Woo playfully transforms into a centipede through origami, showcasing his spontaneous creativity.
The world's largest NGO, through which Iram Mariam has worked for over three decades to ensure children's access to play.
Small, welcoming spaces created in refugee camps, decorated with familiar images and run by young Rohingya women to help children heal through play.
A legendary exhibition basketball team credited with integrating the NBA and popularizing new moves, emphasizing playfulness in their approach.
A media company that, along with MTV, named Rachel Riyle's Instagram account the number one to follow.
The organization whose lawn in New York will host the International Day of Play, a public event.
An organization that holds an international day of play to remind people of its importance for all ages worldwide.
An organization co-founded by Anna Rano, dedicated to researching and promoting 'play worlds' in early learning and classrooms.
The collegiate sports governing body that banned dunking for nine years, an example of rules hindering rather than enhancing play.
The university where Dude Perfect originated, with five friends filming trick shots in a backyard that went viral.
A creator channel that originally made a spelling game exploring the eccentricities of the English language, which TED later expanded upon.
A student filmmaking program based in Massachusetts, whose students created the stop-motion video 'Jim and the Bread'.
The institution where James Rojas studied urban planning and where Randy Williams worked at the Media Lab.
A program co-founded by Eric Zimmerman where games are studied as an art form and play as a deep form of literacy.
A museum where Eric Zimmerman's large-scale public games have been exhibited.
One of the amazing organizations Eric Zimmerman is working with to think about democracy as a design problem.
Educational institutions that continue to embrace toy-based learning with rigorously designed materials for specific concepts.
The institution where Anna Rano is a researcher and teacher educator, leading the Child Research Group.
One of the amazing organizations Eric Zimmerman is working with to think about democracy as a design problem.
A state-of-the-art recreation and community center in Phoenix for people with disabilities, which inspired the need for an accessible light rail station.
An academic institution where Randy Williams is a professor, researching artificial intelligence.
A museum where Eric Zimmerman's large-scale public games have been exhibited.
A town in Bangladesh where over 850,000 Rohingya refugees settled in camps, serving as the location for the humanitarian play labs.
The city where three brothers during the Islamic Renaissance designed the first programmable automated organ.
Location of 'Muddy Harappa Park,' where children sculpt water slides and sinkholes from the natural landscape.
Location of 'Glams Adventure Playground,' where children use fire pits with playworker supervision.
Location of a park mentioned that features a 30-person mega swing, showcasing modern playground design.
Location of the 50th Street light rail station project, where a workshop helped people with disabilities design an accessible station.
A country Rachel Riyle recently visited, inspiring a passion piece she is currently animating.
Home to Omaha Riverfront playground, which uses a multi-layered decking ribbon as a 'play spine'.
A beautiful place in Arizona that influenced Salehe Bembury's 'Peace Be the Journey' shoe design.
An informal settlement in Tijuana, Mexico, where James Rojas facilitated a community meeting to design a community center, resulting in a 'House of Ideas'.
Home to 'Kolle 37,' a modern adventure playground featuring scrap and building tools for kids.
Location of 'Veracruz,' an informal settlement where James Rojas facilitated a grassroots community meeting to design a community center.
A performance space known for its playful architectural design in the bathrooms, which challenge gender binary notions.
An online game Eric Zimmerman admits to playing with high levels of addiction, despite his experimental tastes in games.
A non-profit co-founded by Randy Williams, dedicated to creating opportunities for millions of children to learn how AI works.
A word game played on TED.com/games that involves word ladders and transforming words based on rhymes, anagrams, and common phrases.
A number puzzle game mentioned by Simone Giertz as something she plays excessively, contrasting with picture-based logic puzzles.
A website where users can play daily logic and word puzzles developed by TED.
An online classifieds platform used by Salehe Bembury for outreach during unemployment.
A TED-developed game that explores the weirdness of AI-generated content, referencing the Turing Test.
A highly recommended detective game that Eric Zimmerman would erase his memory to play again, described as genre-defining.
A smash-hit computer game designed by Eric Zimmerman, showcasing his award-winning work in game design.
A virtual assistant (smart toy) included in a study by Randy Williams, observing children's interactions with AI devices.
A virtual assistant (smart toy) that children interact with, sometimes developing strong attachments, and whose limitations can be frustrating or expose children to risks.
A test, named after Alan Turing, originally about guessing gender, later adapted to determine if a machine's behavior can be distinguished from a human's.
An educational approach focused on rewarding curiosity and letting students direct their learning through sensory objects and artistic tools.
A collaboration featuring a ready-to-wear collection by Salehe Bembury, which included a full installation for world-building and brand storytelling.
An upgraded public space or library that resulted from a play-based community meeting in Tijuana, Mexico.
An ethnic group whose genocide in Myanmar led to their displacement to refugee camps in Bangladesh, where play labs were established to help children reconnect with their culture.
A Pictionary-style game played with Lego bricks, used to demonstrate creative problem-solving and play.
A mathematical theorem stating that any shape made of straight lines can be cut out of a folded piece of paper with a single straight cut.
Adult-child joint play structured around literature or art, originally developed by Gunilla Lindqvist, fostering radical inclusion and child-led learning in classrooms.
An origami tessellation invented by Koryo Miura, known for its ability to fold to an extremely compact size, with potential applications in emergency shelters and solar arrays.
A publication cited for its research on 'play guilt' among adults who view play as unproductive.
A book co-authored by James Rojas, which explores his method of using playful engagement to shape public spaces.
A rule book by Eric Zimmerman, serving as a compendium of ways he teaches game design and design through games and play.
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