Can Play Change the World? | Play@TED Full Event | TED, the LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation
The TED event 'Play at TED' emphasizes the importance of play across various ages and contexts, showcasing how creativity and joy can enhance learning and problem-solving. Speakers shared personal stories and research that illustrate the transformative power of play in education and community engagement.
Summary
The event began with Chris Duffy welcoming the audience and emphasizing the importance of youth voices in discussions about play. Kina Bajage, an expert on creative health, spoke about the play deprivation crisis affecting adults and the need to reintegrate play into everyday life to unleash creativity and resilience. The presentations included speakers like Doodle Boy (Joe Whale), who highlighted the importance of imagination in art and encouraged creativity without limitation. Iram Mariam shared powerful stories about the impact of play on children in refugee camps, emphasizing its significance in recovery and cultural connection. Other speakers, including Maxwell Pierce and Andrew Yaffy, discussed how play enhances creativity and fosters a supportive community, while Mila Rojas shared insights into the necessity of play for both children and adults. Eric Zimmerman focused on how rules in games shape the experience of play and facilitate community design, illustrating this with examples of engaging urban planning techniques. Finally, Anna Rano advocated for the concept of play worlds in early learning settings to promote inclusion, emphasizing that children learn best when given space to play and explore. The event ended with performances and further insights into how integrating play can lead to profound impacts in education and community life.
About this episode
TED, the LEGO Group and the LEGO Foundation bring you Play@TED, a partnership to drive a movement and change how people of all ages think about play. Together, we'll highlight how creative play can be a game-changer in the world and lead to brighter minds, braver ideas and a more imaginative future for everyone. Learn how you can put play into practice: https://ted.com/play Hosted by comedian and "How to Be a Better Human" podcast host Chris Duffy, the Play@TED event unfolds across three sessions of TED Talks — Play Is a Language, Play Is a Craft and Play Is an Adventure. It's also connected by two studio segments hosted by TED-Ed's Alexandra Panzer and Alex Rosenthal, packed with games, experiments, live performances and conversations with creators like inventor Simone Giertz and Dude Perfect CEO Andrew Yaffee. Onstage, you'll hear from Harlem Globetrotter and artist Maxwell Pearce, early childhood development leader Erum Mariam, footwear designer Salehe Bembury, West End star Suki Hillier, origami innovator Miles Wu — and many more. Follow TED! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks Facebook: https://facebook.com/TED X: https://www.twitter.com/TEDTalks https://youtu.be/0ADHiUWjo6c TED videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with the TED Talks Usage Policy: https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy. For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), submit a request at https://media-requests.ted.com #PlayAtTED #TED #LEGO 00:00:00 Session 1: Play Is a Language 00:50:05 Studio Segment 1 02:50:32 Session 2: Play Is a Craft 03:51:20 Studio Segment 2 04:38:44 Session 3: Play Is an Adventure
Key Insights
- Kina Bajage highlights that 70% of adults have lost the ability to play, leading to a play deprivation crisis.
- Kina explains that play is fundamentally about intrinsic motivation and freedom, not just childish antics or hobbies.
- Kina shares that play deprivation can result in stress, burnout, and a rigid, lonely society.
- Doodle Boy (Joe Whale) emphasizes the importance of imagination in art and the freedom to create without boundaries.
- Iram Mariam discusses how play from the Rohingya culture helps refugee children heal from trauma.
- Iram describes a 'Humanitarian Play Lab' created for Rohingya children, integrating cultural play to foster joy and confidence.
- Mila Rojas suggests that adults often forget the importance of play and need to incorporate it into their lives for deeper connections.
- Mila illustrates that playful activities can enhance family connections, such as racing to pick up toys.
- Eric Zimmerman explains that effective game design requires understanding rules and allowing play to emerge within them.
- Eric illustrates through a game example how constraints in game design can enhance playfulness and creativity.
- He shares a personal example of improvising at a dinner party to create a playful environment.
- James Roas notes that play can break barriers of exclusion and foster community engagement through collaboration in designing public spaces.
- Anna Rano advocates for the joint play worlds approach in classrooms to foster deeper connections with diverse students.
- Anna emphasizes the importance of saying 'why not?' to children’s ideas to foster exploration and creativity.
- Miles Woo explains how origami can spark creativity and help others through charitable projects.
- He shares an innovative project with a mirror origami fold to optimize strength in emergency shelters.
Topics
Transcript
[0:14] Hello. Hello. Hi everyone. Hello to everyone on the live stream. Hello to everyone here in the room. Welcome to Play a TED. We are going to have such an incredible time here together. Um, my name is Chris Duffy. I am the host of Ted's How to Be a Better Human podcast. I am a comedian and I wrote a book all about how to laugh more every day. But this is true. If you were to Google me, that is not necessarily what will come up. If you Google me, and what I'm about to show you is very it's important for me to let you know that this is not edited or doctorred in any way.…
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