Gaming is not the most refined form of play. The most refined form of play is unstructured, spontaneous, and uses imagination. Gaming is the opposite of that. It is essentially a grim struggle to perform at one’s best in a 100% defined environment and ruleset.

I’m a gamer. Mad respect for gaming. I use it to achieve flow and improve the precision and skill of my brain.

But I don’t really consider it “playing” in the sense that puppies and little kids play.