As a bit of fun, and to help keep people engaged with ClubAssemble, we decided to add a Games section within our framework. This isn’t meant to compete with our core functionality, but rather to add a light-hearted element — something that brings people back and makes using the app enjoyable in between their usual club activities.
The Games section acts as a simple portal where users can play small, simple, but fun arcade-style games. The twist is that players don’t just compete for their own top score — they also compete to set the top score for their club. This adds a social and competitive layer, mirroring the spirit of sport itself.
Each game is developed in-house and keeps to a sports theme. For example, we’ve experimented with a pattern-matching game based on different sports balls, and a block-busting game where the player controls a paddle at the bottom of the screen, bouncing a ball (themed on a specific sport, of course) to destroy blocks above.
There was some debate internally about whether this feature might detract from the app’s primary purpose — and to some extent, it does move us slightly away from the core management and engagement tools. But we felt strongly that a feature which adds fun and provides an incentive to log in, try again, and compete in a positive way actually complements the spirit of ClubAssemble. After all, one of the key lessons in sport is learning how to compete — and enjoy it.
Over time, we may add more games to the list to keep it fresh and interesting. While it’s not a core focus of the platform, we believe that a little fun is never a bad thing — and if it brings a few more smiles (and logins), that’s a win in itself.