I recently realized that my use of Agile Games for learning and doing work is part of something much more profound: play. This is one way to support the creation of  high-performance teams and companies. When work is play, people are engaged and businesses get great results.

Stuart Brown shares an insightful quote:

The opposite of play is not work, it’s depression.

In the following TedX video, Stuart Brown explains the importance of play.

Key Take-Aways

  • Lot’s of great science on the importance of play for learning and development.
  • Play is hard-wired into our brains (stories of Polar Bear with Husky and Mother with infant)
  • Use of play skills in children is critical for adult development of problem solving skills. In particular, play involving hands is key.

For more information, there is Stuart’s book Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul

Many thanks to Yves Hanoulle who first shared this with me.