LinkedIn is introducing brain-teasing games, replacing the New York Times in the limelight.
The LinkedIn platform, known for professional networking and sharing news, has decided to follow in the footsteps of the New York Times by introducing three free, thought-provoking games. This move aims to capitalize on the growing trend of players using brain-teasing puzzles as part of their daily routines.
Unlike the New York Times, however, LinkedIn plans to incorporate a unique element into its games: encouraging participants to share their results with colleagues, school alumni, and even competitors. The goal is to foster camaraderie within the LinkedIn community and potentially spark conversations and create new connections.
Daniel Roth, the Editor in Chief of LinkedIn, explained that users now share articles less for the purpose of dispensing advice and more because they're attempting to develop meaningful relationships.
"Games, it turns out, are a great way to achieve this," Roth said. "We've observed that with the recent surge in popularity of brief games aimed at strengthening mental skills."
What are the games?
These games are designed to be completed in under five minutes and refresh daily. Desktop users will spot a new games module in the "LinkedIn News" section on the top right corner of the website, while mobile users can find the games in the "My Network" tab of the app.
The first game is "Pinpoint," a word association challenge where participants must guess the common category for a series of words shown.
The second puzzle is "Queens," a time-constrained logic game where players must place crowns on a board without any crowns touching each other.
The third game is "Crossclimb," which LinkedIn describes as a crossword and word ladder hybrid. Players use their knowledge and vocabulary to fill in the words arranged in a ladder, with each word differing from the previous one by only one letter, ultimately revealing the final clue to win the game.
The connection between news and games
Although the New York Times currently boasts the most popular games like Wordle, combining news and games is not a novel concept. The first-ever crossword puzzle appeared in the New York World newspaper over 110 years ago.
Roth mentioned that the growing popularity of Wordle, particularly during the pandemic when people craved connections, served as a wake-up call due to the social aspect involved in sharing scores.
"This blend of news and games has always been there," Roth said. "It was an eye-opening experience to see how Wordle skyrocketed, especially during a time when people were yearning for connections."
The success of the Times' games has become a significant source of income for the newspaper. For LinkedIn, the intention is to create another tool for users to expand their network while also having some fun.
"It's all about helping you stretch and exercise your mind," said Laura Lorenzetti, LinkedIn's executive editor for News. "But most importantly, how this aids your connections."
"Any games we add to our suite must align with this approach, and we hope you'll still be playing these games a year from now," she added.
Should the games prove successful, Smiley suggested that users might spend more time on the platform, as well as post more, as they'll likely be prompted to share their scores.
"While the feature is ad-free currently, this could change in the future given LinkedIn's efforts to enhance its advertising business," Smiley warned. "But it's essential for LinkedIn not to merely experiment with various features in an attempt to retain users, seeing as it's predominantly seen as a destination for career-related discussions and networking."
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Source: edition.cnn.com
