[Jensson]

Doing enjoyable things isn't "play", it isn't work and you relax but it isn't the same thing as playing.

> Personally I think you might be clasping at straws trying to equate every pleasant experience to some type of reward function.

No, here I just focus on why play is fun, you tried to pivot to other pleasurable experiences. Unlike watching sunsets basically every animal plays around as kids, that play is therefore something that is directly related to survival of the fittest or we wouldn't see that everywhere. You need a really strong argument why for humans play doesn't fill that role when it fills that role for basically every other intelligent animal.

> I'd go as far as saying if we worked this simply and predictably, then our lives would be much easier

So you think humanity would be better off if nobody played around and discovered new things? We would be stuck as monkeys in trees then. Play is pivotal to humanity.

[bamboozled]

How can you argue I’m smuggling ”enjoyable” experiences into the argument when you yourself admit play is also Enjoyable. What is the actual difference? Even enjoying a cup of coffee can be considered play if I put the coffee in my mouth and play around and pay careful attention to he aromas a texture.

They’re one and the same thing. It’s a matter of language that makes them appear to be different things. Taking a dip in a pool can be considered play and it can also be pleasurable.

[Jensson]

> How can you argue I’m smuggling ”enjoyable” experiences into the argument when you yourself admit play is also Enjoyable

Play is enjoyable, not all enjoyable things are play. You started to add other enjoyable things into the argument about play.

> They’re one and the same thing

No they are not. Play is typically seen as what children do, or playing sports, or playing a game, or a competition. You can read the definitions here, none of them say that stuff like eating hotdogs is play unless it is an eating contest or other kind of game:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play

[bamboozled]

You’re hung up on language in my opinion and it was the inspiration for my original comment. There is a gradient between playing and just doing something enjoyable. It’s not a binary thing.

I do woodwork because I find it enjoyable but it’s also play time when I’m in my shop.

Language has limits. I bet you there are cultures which don’t distinguish between play and enjoyable activities and then we wouldn’t be sending each other links to merriam Webster.

Btw I don't disagree people learn from play, I just don't think it's the end goal of play.