The potential power of play in second language academic writing

•Play and playfulness are common in human activity.•Research suggests language play can facilitate second language acquisition.•Play in academic writing can contribute to metalinguistic and genre awareness, increased text ownership, and enjoyment.•L2 writing teachers may foster play and playfulness through gameful tasks, genre play, and playful stances toward writing. Research in applied linguistics has shown the potential for language play to have a facilitative role in second language development, with numerous studies exploring how and why language learners play with language in and out of the classroom, as well as the effects of such play. Despite a growing acknowledgement of the value of play in language learning, it play has received little attention in second language writing. This paper explores the potential value of play in the context of academic second language writing, with a specific interest in its implications for instruction. I begin by defining play and its role in human behavior more generally and reviewing the more specific role of language play in second language development. I next turn to examining the potential value of play (including language play and genre play) in academic writing, drawing on relevant research. Finally, I consider how we might help create second language writing classrooms that foster opportunities for play, and I conclude with potential directions for future research.