Whether initiated by children or by adults, solitary or shared, play is a timeless human preoccupation that fashions plastic meaning to overcome the oppressive limits of the material and social world. As we seek relief from the heavy burdens of pain and care, we contemplate the ways in which play provides us with a vehicle to repurpose reality and build camaraderie, hope, and infinite possibility. Play aims to transcend the real through daydream, diversion, distortion, deregulation, and delight.