Why Did LinkedIn Add Games? Unpacking the Strategy Behind the Platform’s Playful Shift

Image Credits: Dall E

LinkedIn, known for job searches, connecting with colleagues, crafting career updates and endorsing colleagues skills, now lets you play games like Mini Sudoku and 5 others on the site. Surprisingly, this move is not just for fun but it’s more than that which is working brilliantly. 

The Strategic Masterstroker: Why Did LinkedIn Add Games? 

Starting in May 2024, LinkedIn launched simple puzzle games such as Queens, Crossclimb, and Pinpoint. These games are quick (usually less than a couple of minutes) and are updated daily with new gameplays. The idea is to make it easier for people to start conversations, have friendly competitions, and interact more often and all while staying professional. This is LinkedIn’s strategically planned move to help professionals build better connections in a fresh way solving the fundamental networking challenges.

It all started like a curious experiment in the beginning, now has evolved into one of the platform’s most successful engagement strategies, with 80% of players returning the next day and 76% continuing to play a week later. The genius lies not in games themselves, but in what they solve. 

How Exactly Do Games Help?

LinkedIn is leveraging games in multiple ways solving real professional pain points

• Easy Icebreakers Problem: Starting conversations with dormant connections or new contacts has always been awkward. Games provide natural conversation starters. “Saw you crushed Crossclimb today” beats “Hope you are doing well” every time.

• Remote Connection Challenge: With distributed teams becoming the norm, games recreate those spontaneous “water cooler” moments that remote work dint have. Games like these simulate culture virtually, fostering team camaraderie through friendly competition.

• Habit-Forming Engagement: Professional platforms often feel transactional with exchange of information. Games create shared experiences through engagement that build relationships where you are not just networking but bonding. The games are fast and new every day, many users come back again and again, building a daily habit.

• The Mental Health Factor: Brief gaming sessions serve as micro breaks that boost productivity and mental clarity. Unlike scrolling social feeds, puzzle games provide cognitive refreshment without dopamine crash.

The Business Logic: Learning from Media Giants

LinkedIn’ strategy mirrors The New York Times’ successful game business, which generates millions in subscription revenue. However, LinkedIn’s approach is to increase platform stickiness and professional relationship building instead of direct monetization.

The Deeper Strategy: What’s Next for LinkedIn?

LinkedIn’s gaming initiative does not just represent a feature addition but it’s a platform evolution. Games create what psychologists call “parallel processing” which is building relationships while focusing on shared activities. 

LinkedIn may soon add even more games or use them for things like team-building for remote team bonding, learning for professional development, even job recruiting where recruiters can assess problem solving abilities and cognitive patterns. Future games might adapt to individual professional interest and industry contexts making experiences feel both fun and relevant.

The Bottom Line

LinkedIn’s gaming strategy is by recognizing that professional relationships thrive on shared positive experiences. LinkedIn’s games are making networking more relaxed and natural. By mixing play with professionalism, the platform helps people connect, refresh their minds, and maybe land new opportunities all while having little fun.