Animals play, so they must be more than merely mechanical things. We play and know that we play so we must be more than merely rational beings, for play is irrational. …If we find that play is based on the manipulation of certain images, on a certain ‘imagination’ of reality (i.e. its conversion into images) then our main concern well be to grasp the value and significance of these images and their ‘imagination’. We shall observe their action in play itself and thus try to understand play as a cultural factor in life…. The great archetypal activities of human society are all permeated with play from the start……