LinkedIn Games Launches: Social Platform Takes Aim at Wordle | Man of Many

"Games are all about connection for us. LinkedIn's mission has always been to connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. And, as the world of work has shifted in the last 20 years since LinkedIn's founding, so has the way people connect with each other," said Lakshman Somasundaram LinkedIn's Director of Product Management in the announcement blog.

"I'm excited to share a bit more about our first games, and how we've designed them to build the future of how we'll stay in touch with our colleagues, reignite relationships from past phases of our professional lives, and make the connections that will shape what's next."

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Billed as "thinking-oriented games," each of the three new free-to-play LinkedIn puzzle games can only be played once a day, and players can share their scores with friends in charming emoji-filled messages. The service will also keep track of "streaks" to encourage players to come back every day. The introduction of games on a professional platform like LinkedIn has surely generated some discussion. According to the company, incorporating games will offer users a mental respite while fostering new connections with colleagues.

Daniel Roth, the Editor-in-chief, emphasized LinkedIn's commitment to facilitating professional networking and knowledge-sharing. He stated, "Our goal at LinkedIn is to continue to find ways to bring professionals together to stay informed and connected. That's why starting today, we're weaving thinking-oriented games directly into the LinkedIn experience. We want to give people a way to exercise their brains while taking a quick break, but also give people a reason to connect with others. We hope that these games spark banter, conversations, and even a healthy bit of competition among professionals around the world." So, how do you play these new games? Here's a quick guide to playing Pinpoint, Queens, and Crossclimb on LinkedIn.

How to Play LinkedIn's New Wordle-Inspired Puzzle Games

Before getting started with how you can play LinkedIn's new puzzle games, let's take a quick look at what each game offers. First up is Pinpoint, a "word association game." In Pinpoint, you try to link different clues together. If you guess wrong, you get more clues. Your goal is to find the common theme using as few guesses as possible. If you use up all the clues and still can't guess the answer, you lose.

Next up is Crossclimb, a word chain game that mixes trivia and wordplay. The game is basically about guessing four-letter words and arranging them in order. First, you'll get short definitions for some words. After guessing them, you rearrange them so that only one letter changes each time. Finally, you'll get one last clue to figure out the first and last words in the sequence. Don't worry if it seems challenging at first; it becomes easier as you play more.

Lastly, Queens is LinkedIn's "logic game," a twist on Sudoku that uses crowns instead of numbers. Your job is to place a crown in each row, column, and coloured section without any crowns touching each other in any direction. You can play all three of LinkedIn's new puzzle games on both the LinkedIn app and the desktop website. To start playing, simply type linkedin.com/games into your browser. You can also find the games on the desktop site in the News module on the LinkedIn home page or the MyNetwork tab.