LinkedIn Games Pinpoint, Queens And Crossclimb Unveiled. Here's How To Play Them

Each game can be played once per day, with users receiving metrics such as their high score, daily streak, various leaderboards, and more.

LinkedIn has forayed into the gaming arena.

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LinkedIn has forayed into the gaming arena. Its users can access three different games -- Pinpoint, Queens, and Crossclimb -- via the LinkedIn mobile app or desktop site. Each game can be played once per day, with users receiving metrics such as their high score, daily streak, various leaderboards, and information on who in their network has also played. The games are available under the LinkedIn News and My Network section on desktop or the My Network tab on mobile.

What Are LinkedIn's New 'Thinking-Oriented' Games

The "thinking-oriented" games will be available on the My Network page on both mobile and desktop platforms, as well as in the LinkedIn News section on desktop. LinkedIn's foray into gaming reportedly comes in the wake of the widespread popularity of the puzzle game Wordle. This phenomenon gave way to numerous imitations seeking to capitalise on the increased user fascination with word puzzles.

LinkedIn Games Are Free For Now

LinkedIn is currently offering its games for free, seemingly as a means to enhance user engagement on the platform. Alongside showcasing an individual's high score and daily streak, LinkedIn will also reveal which of their connections have played, in addition to school and company leaderboards. Lakshman Somasundaram, LinkedIn’s product director, was quoted as saying in a press release: "It’s time we turn over a new leaf in how we deepen and reignite relationships at work, and put fun at the heart of it."

LinkedIn's games were developed by its News division, which recently welcomed a games editor, Paolo Pasco. According to The Hustle Daily, Pasco previously worked for the American Values Club puzzle, a subscription-based weekly puzzle, before joining LinkedIn. He also emerged as the winner in this year's Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.

According to a report in Axios, The New York Times (NYT) games garnered over 8 billion plays last year, with more than half of those plays attributed to Wordle, the word-guessing game acquired by the Times in 2022. The Times offers subscription packages specifically for its games, as well as a pricier All Access package that includes games along with other New York Times content. In an interview with Digiday, Jonathan Knight, the publisher’s head of games, elaborated on how gaming subscriptions have contributed to the Times' growth and user retention: "If you’re a subscriber and engage with both news and games in any given week, the likelihood of retaining your subscription over the long term is much higher."