LinkedIn Games: The SmartCompany Review

I’m so chronically online that I immediately noticed when the icons on the LinkedIn app changed recently. In addition to questioning how I got to this point, I was left wondering why ‘My Network’ had been replaced with ‘Games’. As a former games journalist, award-winning reviewer, and unapologetic content monger, the opportunity here was too good to pass up.

The concept of LinkedIn games isn’t new. It was first launched in May, offering users three different daily games – Pinpoint, Queens and Crossclimb.

According to LinkedIn, the purpose of these games is to swiftly slot into a daily work schedule.

“Research highlights the importance of taking regular breaks during the working day, as well as the cognitive benefits of doing daily puzzles,” Pooja Chhabria, LinkedIn head of editorial in APAC, said at the time.

It could also be read as a play to tap into the popularity of Wordle – and other daily games owned by The New York Times – in an attempt to keep LinkedIn users on-platform.

So why not put them to the test with a proper review? But first:

What are LinkedIn Games?

The LinkedIn Games suite is made up of three offerings:

Crossclimb

Crossclimb is a trivia-based word game where you guess words on a ladder using clues. Each word must differ by one letter from the previous one.

Pinpoint

Pinpoint is a word association game where you identify the common category linking a set of words. You have five clues to guess the category with as few reveals as possible.

Queens

Queens is a logic puzzle where you place queens on a grid so no two queens appear in the same row, column or colored region. Each puzzle has just one correct solution.

Design and graphics

The flaws in the game design begin on the LinkedIn homepage.

Until I saw the change in my app, I didn’t know LinkedIn even dabbled in games. In fact, it turns out I was in a test group for the icon change – which quickly switched back to ‘My Network’ within 24 hours.

While the games are purported to live in both the LinkedIn News and My Network sections of the app and desktop site – I haven’t found them there.

The only way I have gained access is by searching ‘games’ in the navigation bar.

If you do manage to access the games, what you will find is a pleasant experience.

The design and graphics are simple but refined. They’re pleasant enough to look at for a couple of minutes a day. LinkedIn has opted for muted pastels — with a reliance on greens, blues and purples. This taps into the idea of providing a relaxing distraction in an otherwise busy day and is executed well.

The team also did quite a good job when it came to accessibility, not relying entirely on colour as differentiators for the puzzles, which is great for anyone who is colourblind.

As for the puzzles themselves — they can be somewhat challenging but feel balanced. At no point have I wanted to throw my phone at a wall.

Expertise has clearly had a hand in this.

In the case of Pinpoint and Crossclimbs, the dailies are created by the 2024 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament champion, Paolo Pasco, as well as LinkedIn’s games editor. Queens is a little more vague in who is creating them, but one past puzzle master was a three-time world Sodoku champion.

Elegant simplicity is to be expected for puzzle games like these. Users don’t want or need anything overly complex. What matters is that the puzzles are easy to understand and navigate.

This is aided by the fact that all three games are overtly derivative of puzzles that already exist, particularly from The New York Times.

The most obvious is Pinpoint, which is incredibly similar to the NYT’s ‘Connections’. Queens is also reminiscent of sodoku, but without the numbers. Crossclimb is probably the most unique of the bunch, but still has some similarities with the likes of Wordle and Letter Boxed.

That being said, one could argue that this is a positive — providing users with games that are familiar and thus easy to jump into.

The verdict: 2.5/5 lessons in B2B sales

Game play and mechanics

The games definitely deliver on the promise of being bite-sized and digestible. In general, they should only take a few minutes out of your day during breaks or when your boss isn’t looking.

This is aided by short ‘how-to-play’ explanations for every game. In the case of Queens, these instructions are permanently bolted to the gameplay screen. While some of the daily puzzles may be tricky, understanding how to navigate them isn’t.

Another nice touch is the timer, which is present in both Queens and Crossclimb. Pinpoint isn’t timed at all.

While this adds another layer of challenge, it also pauses when you exit the game, resuming when you dial back in.

It’s a small thing but meshes well with the idea that these games are supposed to be a relaxing part of the day. If you happen to be interrupted, you can pick it back up without any penalty.

The mechanics are also intuitive both on desktop and mobile — you can navigate easily both with a cursor and keyboard or fingers, depending on what platform you’re using.

While the games are all single-player, a multi-player element is present through leaderboards. You’re able to see which of your LinkedIn connections has played each game that day and, once you’ve completed them, see what their scores are. This simple mechanic adds a dose of competitiveness to the experience.

The verdict: 4/5 lessons in B2B sales

Overall LinkedIn Games verdict: 3/5 lessons in B2B sales

Linked’s suite of games isn’t the most sophisticated in the market, but they don’t need to be. They’re well-balanced puzzles aimed at a particular audience. With thoughtful additions such as the pause functionality, they’ve catered well to those people.

One could certainly argue that the platform has rather overtly tried to emulate the NYT puzzles here — but whether that matters will be subjective.

It’s no coincidence that many platforms before it have tried to weave in games to keep users in place — including Facebook and Snap. People love games. According to the latest Statista stats, 83.1% of all internet users play video games on a device.

The biggest concern with the games is visibility. While the games are designed well enough, particularly for a social media platform, that’s superfluous if users can’t actually find them.

Perhaps the brief blip of ‘games’ appearing on my home screen is an indicator that this problem is being addressed. I’ll certainly be keeping my eyes peeled.

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