play-actor vs player

play-actor and player both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
play-actor	Yes	No	No	No
player	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, player is a hypernym of play-actor; that is, player is a word with a broader meaning than play-actor:

Other hypernyms of play-actor include actor, histrion, role player, thespian.

play-actor (noun)	player (noun)
an actor who travels around the country presenting plays	a theatrical performer
	a person who participates in or is skilled at some game
	someone who plays a music as a profession
	a person who pursues a number of different social and sexual partners simultaneously
	someone who takes part in an activity