I’ve long been a follower of Pat Kane’s work on play and in particular The Play Ethic. In his most recent Play Journal, Pat speaks of our biological hard-wired predisposition to play and how that connects us with other animals.
Part of the enduring power of play comes from its strong sourcing in biology and nature. Play is the form of communication, creativity and expression that unites us with other animals - not just other complex mammals, but birds too - rather than language, which separates us.
As Pat says, it will be an interesting field to keep an eye on.