Grab Them. Then Stump Them.

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses how media and technology companies are increasingly using games and puzzles as a way to attract new subscribers and keep existing users engaged on their platforms.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Grab Them. Then Stump Them.

1. What are some examples of games and puzzles that media and tech companies are using?

• Apple released a series of word-focused puzzles in its subscription news service
• LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, debuted a set of word games
• News sites like Morning Brew, The Washington Post, Vox Media, and The Boston Globe have added new puzzles beyond the crossword and hired staff to work on games
• The publication the article is in has also invested in a collection of brainteasers

2. Why are media and tech companies using games and puzzles?

• For media companies, games are a way to attract new customers as their sites face declining traffic from Google, Facebook, and other platforms
• For tech companies with editorial offerings, the puzzles are a way to entice new subscribers while engaging existing users who may not return to the apps daily
• Games can help recreate the "satisfying experience" that people may have had doing crosswords in newspapers

3. What types of games are these companies using?

• They are often word or logic puzzles, which can help people feel a sense of accomplishment for exercising their intellectual muscles
• The games are not typically action-packed shooter games or the next Angry Birds, but rather more cerebral puzzles

[02] Reporting from San Francisco

No additional questions for this section.