[jerf]

"Playfulness" is fairly widespread among the intelligent animals of Earth. Mammals, birds, and cetaceans all seem to "play". From there it isn't that hard a guess that they might also "game", and for similar evolutionary reasons.

Unless we're going to argue that Earth has some sort of unique concept of "playfulness" built into the original single cell, it's not that hard a guess that a good chunk of aliens out there might recognizably "game".

Is everyone who thinks we stand no chance of communication really comfortable claiming that we're just soooo unique that we won't be able to communicate with anything? Because it's the exact same claim, just from a different viewpoint. Personally I think it's just fashionable misanthropy that will dissolve the instant you spin it in a direction where it might perhaps look like one is claiming it in a way that makes humanity look special.

[zeebeecee]

Your guess is as good as mine. My guess is that all intelligent life in the universe would be "soooo unique", not just the one on Earth. So it would be very improbable any life form would be similar to that on Earth.

However, it could be probable that there are two life forms in the universe which are similar. But then they would probably be too far apart from each other to ever be able to communicate.