Are You Gaming on LinkedIn Yet?

With the summer Olympic games underway, it’s time I finally talk about what I’ve been secretly hoping would quickly fade: LinkedIn games. 

Initially appalled by the audacity (strong language, I know, but it’s genuinely how I felt) of LinkedIn incorporating games into their professional, business networking platform…I’ve found myself coming back to the mobile app daily to play. While I’m not a videogamer, I’m admittedly a New York Times “Wordler” along with a few others that give me, my oldest nieces, sisters, and mom something fun to banter about over text messages. These LinkedIn games have a similar “feel” to them.  

What are the games?

There are currently three games: Queens, Pinpoint, and Crossclimb — brain teaser games on word association, logic patterns, and trivia.

LinkedIn games allow members to: 

• Play each game one time per day
• Decide who can see if you played
• See a university leaderboard
• Play on mobile or desktop
• Join a LinkedIn Group about each game
• Post, send, or text your score to your network

Additionally, Queens and Crossclimb give you the option to keep time of your play. There are several ways to access the games, including the Games Hub. For additional questions, this LinkedIn help article may shed more light.

What’s my take?

Honestly? The jury is still out for me. I’m reminded of the importance of investigating and learning before jumping to conclusions. Before sharing my sentiments of the new LinkedIn games feature, I knew I needed to “get in there” and give them a try to become more informed. The initial fire I felt has cooled, especially knowing you only get to play one game per day (meaning, you cannot play ten rounds of Queens and waste precious hours being unproductive). 

LinkedIn touts the purpose of the games are to spur conversation and create friendly competition in the workplace. However, in a culture riddled with comparison syndrome and not being good enough, it feels like a bit of a stretch and more like a ploy to get more people on their platform more often. And listen, I get it. LinkedIn is in the business of bringing people on their platform; so, perhaps I wish there was more transparency in the real reason why LinkedIn created games. 

I recently finished reading “Who Not How” again by Dr. Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan. In their chapter on collaboration, the topic of competition is referenced, especially business culture in America: 

“Many business cultures are in stage three culture, which is epitomized by internal competition where each person is out for themselves, willing to backstab, gossip, or do whatever it takes to get the position above their colleagues. Much rarer are stage four cultures, which emphasize teamwork and collaboration, focusing on the quality and characteristics of the group rather than the individual. Stage four cultures are far more productive and successful than stage three cultures in business and sports.”

The commentary gave me pause in how these LinkedIn games are only emphasizing the notion of a (more often) unhealthy culture of competition that already exists in the workplace. Could this be adding fuel to the fire? I’ll let you decide.

I’m here to share insights on new LinkedIn features and hacks, but my real super power is helping professionals ensure the solid reputation they have offline is mirrored online to help them get more at-bats with their ideal target audience. I do this by empowering them to connect with purpose, and I cannot say that LinkedIn games are ever going to be the way I’ll teach this concept. 

So, if you’re a leader, be aware of LinkedIn games, decide your stance on them, and communicate it with your team because sticking your head in the sand is not the way to go.

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