Recently, you can’t seem to go anywhere on the internet without seeing people talk about the space murder game that’s caught everyone’s attention: Among Us.
Among Us is a social deduction game much like Mafia or Town of Salem. In the game, each player is secretly assigned a role– either Crewmate or Imposter. There can be between 1-3 Imposters per game depending on how many people in total are playing. Players assigned as Crewmates have to finish tasks to keep the ship running. Meanwhile, Imposters blend in with the scrambling Crewmates, find an opportunity to strike, and hope they don’t get caught.
For the Crew to win the game, all the Crewmates must finish their assigned tasks (even players who are dead can still do tasks as ghosts). For the Imposters to win, they need to kill mostly everyone, and they win once only one Crewmate is alive. If someone discovers a body, a meeting will be called, and everyone will have to give alibis and argue before a vote. You can also call an emergency meeting by pressing the button in the starting place. It’s meant for if players see something suspicious but can’t call a meeting by reporting a body, but a lot of people just use it jokingly.
The best part about the game is that you can play it however you want. Whether players use complex strategies to win the game, or they just blindly fumble around hoping to either kill or not be killed depending on their role, the game holds a lot of intrigue for players of all skill levels.
The game’s initial 2018 release was rather lackluster, which probably had to do with how the game originally only had one map and no online feature. However, the later addition of new maps, cross-platform play, and consistent updates gradually increased the game’s player base.
Additionally, Twitch streamers and YouTubers especially impacted the popularity of the game, with nearly everyone from the biggest names in the gaming community to the smallest channels playing this game. Since it’s fun to both play and watch, it’s no surprise that the game became as popular as it did seemingly overnight.
If you haven’t played this game, I’d highly recommend doing so, especially with a group of friends. What’s a better way to spend your lunch period than virtually stabbing your friends in the back and getting away with it?
