Apropos to the question of play in design, particularly the effect described in my thesis of providing a safe environment for exploring ideas:



What you see here is a fairly deep topic; getting caught up in trivialities and as a result losing the chance to demonstrate affection. It's something that's painful for many people, yet by treating it with humour, by marking off the subject as being part of a "safe" environment, it's possible to let people see and aknowledge this tendency which we all have, and which tends to pull apart our relationships.