The wonder of play

ABSTRACT Since its introduction almost 50 years ago, the concept of ‘flow’ has been descriptive of optimal experiences, also in relation to play. However, the explorative nature of play leads to some discrepancies between flow and the optimal experience of play. In this paper the differences between flow and play are explored, leading to proposing the state of ‘wonder’ as a counterpart to flow. This perspective offers a way to conceptually distinguish goal-oriented experiences (e.g. games and competition) from free play experiences that are not focused on a specific end-goal, seeking to evolve and retain the experience rather than moving towards an optimal end point. While the theory of wonder in relation to flow is in its early stages of development, it is a proposition that offers new perspectives for further discussions about the relations between e.g. play, games, and work.