Finding transformative AI use cases requires more than strategic planning; it needs unstructured, creative "play." Just as a musician learns by jamming, teams build intuition and discover novel applications by experimenting with AI tools without a predefined outcome, letting their minds make new connections.

Employees often reserve their best strategic thinking for complex hobbies. By intentionally designing the work environment with clear rules, goals, and compelling narratives—like a well-designed game—leaders can unlock this latent strategic talent and make work more engaging.

Founder Janice Omadeke credits her entrepreneurial drive to a childhood game her father created. At dinner, he would ask his children to identify a problem they saw that day and design a business to solve it, including target market and go-to-market strategy, effectively gamifying problem-solving.

Instead of manually designing every detail, games like Minecraft use algorithms (procedural generation) to build vast worlds. This technique, similar to natural laws, allows for emergent complexity and unique landscapes that can surprise even the game's creators, fostering a sense of discovery.

Replit's product design mimics video game mechanics: no manual, a quick dopamine hit by creating something immediately, and a safe 'save/load' environment for experimentation. This 'unfolding experience' of complexity hooks users faster than traditional software onboarding.

Instead of demanding commitment to a single passion, Jenna Kutcher's mother created low-stakes opportunities for her to explore many (e.g., job-shadowing a vet at age nine). This fostered a "try it on, see if it works" mindset, which is crucial for building entrepreneurial resilience and curiosity.

Play is not just for children or sports; it's a critical adult activity for exploring 'if-then' scenarios in a safe environment. This process of low-stakes contingency testing expands our mental catalog of potential outcomes, directly improving creativity and adaptability in high-stakes situations.

When adults intervene in children's unstructured play to "teach" them the "right" way to do things, they often strip the activity of its imaginative joy and engagement. This transforms a creative game into a boring, adult-led lesson, diminishing learning and happiness.

Unlike organized activities with fixed rules, unstructured play forces children to invent, negotiate, and adapt rules themselves. This teaches them that rules are not sacrosanct but are mutable agreements created to facilitate fun and fairness for the group.