LEGO
One toy or tool that many of us associate with play and creativity is LEGO. The name “LEGO” is an abbreviation of the two Danish words “leg godt,” meaning “play well.” This ideal has guided The LEGO Group for over 90 years.
LEGO building bricks are not only toys for children but are also a popular medium of expression in the fields of art, education, and psychology. In fact, LEGO bricks are now used as a tool alongside a methodology known as The LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method (LSP) —a facilitated thinking, communication, and problem-solving technique designed to help organizations, teams, and individuals communicate and work together.
LSP draws on extensive research from the fields of business, organizational development, psychology, and learning, and is based on the concept of "hand knowledge."
"Hand knowledge" refers to the idea that we understand and learn through physical, hands-on activity—specifically, through the use of our hands. It’s the concept that our thinking is enhanced when we engage with materials physically, not just mentally or verbally.
In the context of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP), hand knowledge suggests that building models with your hands helps surface thoughts, ideas, and insights that might remain hidden if you only spoke or thought about them abstractly. It reflects the belief that the hands can “know” or “express” things the conscious mind hasn’t fully articulated yet.
Daiki and his colleagues conducted a Group LEGO Block Creation study. They examined the effects of brick creation on individual moods and found that negative feelings—such as anxiety, fatigue, and confusion—significantly decreased after the task.
They designed collaborative brick-building activities for groups of four or five participants. The participants were randomly divided into groups of three or four members. Each participant was assigned a specific role—such as builder, supplier, or engineer—and asked to collaborate on a block-creation task.
They provided green LEGO base plates (50 square centimetres) along with various types of LEGO blocks and figures. Participants were asked to express themselves collaboratively. Before and after the activity, the participants rated their sense of rolefulness, including both social and internal aspects. The activity was part of a psychology class at Daiki's university, Kinjo Gakuin University, and lasted approximately 60 minutes.
The results revealed that both social and internal rolefulness significantly increased through the activity. Factors like closeness among group members, perspective-taking, and acknowledging individual differences were important in fostering group creativity.
They also found that these types of activities promoted social skills and trust among participants. When they re-examined the effects of collaborative block activities on interpersonal relationships, the sense of rolefulness again showed significant improvement.
They established that role-taking and perspective-taking are deeply connected to creativity in group settings. Both verbal and non-verbal communication were enhanced through collaborative creation. As participants worked together, they became more attuned to each other’s thinking and ideas. These interpersonal dynamics directly influenced the development of rolefulness.
Another important finding was that the effect size (a measure of how strongly one variable influences another) for social rolefulness was greater than that for internal rolefulness. This is consistent with prior research: social rolefulness is more closely tied to communication and social skills, while internal rolefulness is linked to self-esteem and identity. In the short term, social rolefulness appears to be more responsive to change, whereas internal rolefulness takes longer to develop.
A review of LEGO therapy found similar outcomes—improvements in social skills, including friendship-building, social interaction, and social competence—through collaborative block-based activities.
In conclusion, Daiki and his colleagues believe that collaborative play, as explored in their LEGO brick study, can improve an individual’s social competence, confidence, and sense of rolefulness. These creative, group-based activities have the power to enhance both social and internal rolefulness, making them valuable tools for both education and psychological development.
According to Play Australia, “Play is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. Playing together for the fun of it brings joy, vitality, and resilience to relationships. Play can also heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Through regular play, we learn to trust one another and feel safe. Trust enables us to work together, open ourselves to intimacy, and try new things. By making a conscious effort to incorporate more humor and play into your daily interactions, you can improve the quality of your love relationships—as well as your connections with co-workers, family members, and friends.”
One type of play that has become an obsession for many in Japan and all over the world is cosplay.
Cosplay
In today’s globally connected culture, many people find meaning and personal fulfillment through embodied play—by stepping into roles that don’t exist in their everyday lives. Two of the most expressive examples of this are cosplay and LARP (Live Action Role-Play). While often lumped together, each offers a distinct pathway for role exploration, identity formation, and emotional release.
The practice of dressing as fictional characters predates the modern term. In 1939, Forrest J Ackerman and Myrtle R. Douglas famously attended the first World Science Fiction Convention in futuristic costumes—an act that would become a prototype for what’s now called “cosplay.”
However, it was Nobuyuki Takahashi, a Japanese journalist, who coined the word cosplay in 1984 after attending the Worldcon in Los Angeles. Inspired by the elaborate fan costumes he saw there, he blended the words “costume” and “play” into the Japanese term コスプレ (kosupure), which soon gained popularity among anime and manga fans across Japan.
In the decades since, cosplay has exploded into a global phenomenon—especially with the rise of anime culture, comic conventions, and social media. Today, cosplay is a vibrant art form that spans continents, with events from Comiket in Tokyo to Comic-Con in San Diego, and Japan Expo in Paris attracting hundreds of thousands of fans each year.
LARP
While cosplay is largely visual and expressive, Live Action Role-Play (LARP) takes things a step further—into immersive, co-created storytelling.
In a typical LARP, participants assume fictional roles in a structured setting, complete with rules, objectives, and world building. From medieval fantasy quests to post-apocalyptic scenarios, players live out their characters through decisions, dialogue, and in-game actions.
Because LARP is inherently collaborative, it requires teamwork, negotiation, and co-creation, which in turn fosters empathy and sharpens communication skills. The emotional investment involved often leads to moments of deep catharsis—experiences that resonate well beyond the confines of the game.
Perhaps most significantly, stepping into the role of a character who is braver, wiser, or more capable than oneself can cultivate real-life confidence and agency, helping individuals carry the strengths they discover in the game back into their everyday lives.
For many, LARP is more than just imaginative play—it becomes a powerful avenue for transformation and personal development. It offers a safe and immersive space to explore new aspects of identity, allowing participants to test out behaviours, emotions, and social roles they may not feel free to express in daily life.
At its heart, cosplay is about more than just dressing up. It’s a deeply personal and expressive activity that allows people to connect with themselves and others in meaningful ways.
Creative self-expression is one of the most compelling reasons people cosplay. It gives individuals the chance to celebrate beloved characters while showcasing their own craftsmanship—through sewing, makeup, prop-building, and performance. For many, creating a costume from scratch is a labor of love and a form of wearable art.
Escapism and transformation also play a powerful role. Stepping into another identity, even temporarily, can be liberating. Cosplay offers a break from the pressures of daily life and allows people to feel empowered in a new persona—often one that reflects qualities they admire or wish to embody.
In Japan the escapism and transformation found in cosplay can be interpreted as a subtle form of protest or response to social conformity, though it’s rarely articulated that way by participants themselves.
Japan is a society that traditionally places a high value on social harmony (wa), group belonging, and conformity to roles within family, school, and work. This often creates pressure to suppress individual expression, especially in public life. Cosplay offers a sanctioned space—typically within conventions, online, or subcultural zones like Akihabara, Tokyo’s hub for anime, manga, and gaming culture—where people can suspend these norms and fully express personal identity, creativity, and emotion.
The act of transforming into a fictional character, especially one who defies conventional roles (a magical girl, an anti-hero, or a flamboyant warrior), becomes a safe outlet to explore aspects of self that daily life may repress. This isn’t always an explicit rebellion, but rather a quiet assertion of individuality—a reclaiming of agency in a culture that often encourages people to fit in.
In his book Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan, Patrick Galbraith observes that Japan’s otaku and cosplay cultures serve as “escape valves” for societal pressures. Within these subcultures, participants are not merely escaping reality—they are crafting alternative identities, some of which may feel more authentic than their everyday selves.
So while cosplay in Japan is not overtly political, it can be seen as a creative resistance to rigid role expectations, particularly for youth, women, and marginalised individuals. Community and belonging are key to the experience. Conventions, online forums, and social media platforms become gathering spaces for like-minded individuals. For many, the cosplay community becomes an ibasho —a place where they are seen, accepted, and celebrated for who they are.
Best of all, cosplay invites performance and play. Whether posing for photos, participating in skits, or creating short-form videos, many cosplayers relish the theatrical side of the hobby. It’s not just about looking the part—it’s about being the character, even if only for a moment.
Research supports the idea that cosplay is far more than a recreational activity—it can serve as a powerful tool for self-expression, connection, and personal growth, as highlighted in the following findings from the study Cosplay and Mental Health: Exploring How Cosplaying Promotes Positive Mental Health.
“Cosplay participants are motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsically, they experience personal fulfillment and self-expression, while extrinsically, they gain creative outlets, social opportunities, and peer validation. Cosplay positively affects emotional, psychological, and social well-being, promoting emotional regulation, stress relief, personal growth, and self-confidence. It fosters a sense of belonging and connection within a supportive community. Additionally, cosplay enhances emotional resilience, optimism, and cognitive growth, boosting self-perception and interpersonal skills. The study highlights cosplay's therapeutic benefits, suggesting it can support mental health, particularly in underserved communities.”
If you’re experiencing role distress or feeling trapped in a role you can’t easily step away from—perhaps as a caregiver, a manager, or a provider—activities like cosplay or LARP (Live Action Role-Play) might offer you a powerful form of relief and renewal.
While they may seem like unconventional pursuits, especially for adults, these immersive experiences allow you to explore aspects of your personality that may be stifled in your daily life. By stepping into a completely different character, even temporarily, you can access parts of yourself that feel buried or dormant—creativity, confidence, playfulness, or assertiveness.
You don’t have to give up your existing roles to find a sense of freedom. Instead, you can expand your identity through role play in a way that is both emotionally liberating and deeply restorative. For many, cosplay or LARP becomes not just an escape, but a form of expression that reconnects them with who they are—beyond their obligations.
Don’t forget the role that play plays in your relationships and rolefulness. And don’t forget that one of your roles in life is to play.