Games connect people, and Microsoft uses that strategy to connect people on its professional social network, LinkedIn. The mission is simple: to connect professionals with other professionals. For now there’s three games available, Pinpoint a word association game, Queens a logic based game, and Crossclimb a trivia game. You can learn more about a specific game in the blog post.
Lakshman Somasundaram, Director of Project Management at LinkedIn, explained the games this way.
We’ve designed each game to only take a few minutes, and fit right into your work schedule — whether it’s prepping your mind on the commute in, taking a quick mental break between meetings, or unwinding after a long day. There will be only one edition of each game each day, crafted by the best puzzle makers in the world: our daily Pinpoints and Crossclimbs are created by Paolo Pasco, this year’s American Crossword Puzzle Tournament champion and LinkedIn’s Games Editor. And our Queens grids will be created by a roundup of talented creators, with this month’s grids crafted by Thomas Snyder, three-time World Sudoku Champion.
But the best part? It’s what happens after you play. Of course you’ll be able to see your score and streak, and share it to start all the fun banter, celebrations, and conversations with your connections. But we’re taking it several steps further, in a way that only LinkedIn can.
Challenge coworkers, keep track of your scores using the company leaderboards, and see who played with daily updates. Gaming brings everyone together, and Microsoft is ready to see how it plays out in the workplace.
