LinkedIn plans to explore gaming into the platform

With more than a billion users, LinkedIn intends to increase engagement on its site by implementing puzzle games. Snippets of code suggest a feature that connects player scores to workplaces. There are three games in development: "Queens," "Inference," and "Crossclimb." LinkedIn wants to make the user experience more enjoyable and encourage dialogue, even though there is no official launch date yet.

App researchers have started to find code that points to the work LinkedIn is doing. One of them said that one idea LinkedIn appears to be experimenting with involves player scores being organised by places of work, with companies getting “ranked” by those scores.

“We’re playing with adding puzzle-based games within the LinkedIn experience to unlock a bit of fun, deepen relationships, and hopefully spark the opportunity for conversations,” a spokesperson said.

Games are regularly among the most popular apps for mobile phones and PCs — both in terms of revenues and engagement — and puzzle-based casual games have been one of the most popular categories in the space among mobile users. Non-gaming platforms have long tapped into these facts to boost their own traffic — arguably a trend that preceded the internet, if you think about the popularity of crosswords and other puzzles in newspapers and magazines.