Back in March, GameBaba Universe reported that Microsoft was planning to introduce three games on LinkedIn. Well, the games are here. We stumbled on them today and gave them a try. We scaled through one and fumbled through the other two. But, why games on LinkedIn?
The three games on LinkedIn at the moment are Pinpoint, Queens, and Crossclimb. According to the LinkedIn team, the reason for introducing games on LinkedIn was as a result of what they found by studying the best workplaces around the globe.
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“Every year, we study the world’s best workplaces,” wrote the LinkedIn Team in a small note that can be found when you launch Crossclimb. “Turns out, one of the best ways to deepen and reignite relationships at work is simply by having fun together.”
“So we’re excited to roll out three thinking-oriented games — Pinpoint, Queens, and Crossclimb — that allow you to do just that. Compete with your connections, spark conversations, and break the ice. Games forge relationships, and relationships are at the heart of everything we do.”
When you complete each game, you will have the option to copy your score or share it with your connection. We believe the goal is to invite them to try the game and, in the process, spark a friendly rivalry.
While the idea seems great, we are curious to see how the game would be accepted. In our March publication, we shared some of the reactions to the screenshots that were shared by independent app researcher Nima Owji. A vast majority of the comments after Owji shared screenshots were dismissive of the idea.
LinkedIn will not be the first to try to do something different with its platform. Netflix is currently pushing to become one of the key players in cloud gaming. The streaming giant is also aggressively expanding its game catalog—although the segment is still far from profitable.
Where to find games on LinkedIn
LinkedIn doesn’t seem to be taking the “games on LinkedIn” initiative seriously. There is no dedicated menu for games yet on the platform. We kind of stumbled into the games during a routine sharing of our content.
We don’t know if it would be the same for everyone. However, while browsing LinkedIn with a PC, we clicked on the “My Network” icon represented by silhouettes of two people and the games were just below the invitation notification.
The title read, “Stay in touch through daily games. Prep your mind for the workday and compare results”. The first game on the row was Pinpoint followed by Queens, then Crossclimb.
Pinpoint
The official game description said, “Pinpoint is a word association game where you try to guess the common category or theme linking a set of words. You’re given five clues to figure out this common category.”
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Once you launch the game, you will have 5 clues. The first of the 5 clues will be revealed. The goal is to guess the category using the smallest possible clues. Each time you guess wrongly, another clue will be revealed. If you still fail to guess correctly after all five clues are revealed, you will need to try again the next day. We think this is the hardest of the three.
Queens
“Queens is a logic game where you need to fill the grid so that there is only one Queen per row, column, and colored region,” read the game’s official description.
You will get a grid with rows and columns where each row and column must contain just one crown symbol. What is even more interesting is that the crown symbols cannot be placed next to each other (even diagonally) and there must be one crown symbol in every color on the grid. In our playthrough, we got a 9X9 grid with 9 colors. We aced this game without breaking a sweat.
Crossclimb
“Crossclimb is a timed trivia game where you need to solve each rung of a blank word ladder,” read the game’s official description. “You’re given clues for each rung, but they’re all out of order. Guess the word that corresponds to each clue, and arrange them in sequential order. Ensure that each word is just one letter different from the next to unlock the clue for the top and bottom words of the ladder. Solve the top and bottom clues to complete the word ladder and win the game.”
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Crossclimb was the trickiest of the three. We had to rely on lots of hints to get through the game. Nonetheless, all three games were fun. We hope users of the platform will give it a try. The game can only be completed once every day because the patterns or puzzles change daily.
Have you tried games on LinkedIn? Feel free to share your experience with us and tell us which of the games you love the most.
