In June 2018, the strategic game, “Among Us,” was released. Although it has been out for quite a while, it has just recently become very popular in 2020. When this game first came out, it had a slow start, but it eventually became a huge hit and one of the biggest games of the year. It is currently number one in the action games category on the App Store, with over 74 million downloads since August 1. It has grown exceptionally due to many well-known YouTubers and Twitch streamers playing it and broadcasting their games for their viewers.
This game takes place on a spaceship in outer space. It can be played with up to 10 players per game. Among the players, there are anywhere from one to three impostors. Being an impostor means that the goal of the game is to sabotage and kill all the crewmates. The crewmates are the other players in the game who are not an impostor. At the start of the game, it is randomly assigned who the impostors and crewmates are. The overall objective as a crewmate is to vote out the impostors and complete tasks. The way that the crewmates can win is by completing all their tasks as a whole or voting out the impostor(s). As the crewmates are working on their tasks, the impostor is trying to kill all the crewmates without being caught.
Impostors also have the ability to sabotage systems throughout the map. These sabotages are used as strategic ways to make it easier for the impostor to kill crewmates without getting caught. Impostors use sabotages as a strategic way to help them get kills, as the crewmates usually all go to one place to try and fix the sabotages.
To vote out impostors, crewmates can either call emergency meetings when they are suspicious of certain players, or if they find a dead body, they can report it. When a dead body is reported or an emergency meeting is called, all of the players discuss who they suspect the impostor is and who they want to vote out, but if they are unsure, they have the option to skip the vote. If the majority votes on a player, that player will be kicked out of the game, whether it is an impostor or a crewmate. Once voted out or killed by an impostor, the players are then considered ghosts and can watch everyone else play without being visible to anyone still in the game.
Several people enjoy making “Among Us” related videos on the well-known social media app, TikTok. These videos vary from strategies on how to win the game to “Among Us” memes. TikTok has had a huge impact on the sudden increase in popularity of “Among Us.” If it weren’t for “Among Us” blowing up on TikTok, a majority of “Among Us” players, including myself, would not have known about this game.
To be honest, when I heard about this game it did not seem like the type of game I would be interested in. It seems like an intense game with the killings and sabotage, but once I started playing and saw the little colorful characters, my assumptions changed. These characters are known as small humanoid beings dressed in a space suit. They are the opposite of intimidating. You are given the option to customize your character, and you can choose from a variety of different colors and hats. I absolutely like this aspect of the game because it is amusing to be able to customize your character and adds a fun feature to the game.
After a while, this game does get repetitive because if you play multiple games in a row, you are continuously doing the same thing. Luckily, there are different maps to play depending on your preference, to change things up. The three maps included are the Skeld, MIRA HQ, and Polus. The most commonly played map is the Skeld, which is my personal favorite. I like the layout and different tasks in this map, and it is the map I am most accustomed to. When playing the game, I have more fun when I am an impostor because it changes things up and allows for more strategy to be used.
There is an option to play a game with random people or create or join a game with their friends by entering the game code. I prefer playing with people I know to be able to communicate and strategize with them in the chat. Playing with friends causes endless amounts of laughter and rage at the same time.
As much as I enjoy playing this game, it is definitely overhyped and talked about too much. Although, once you start playing you really can’t stop, and it ultimately becomes addicting. I strongly recommend not playing this game as a break from homework because the five-minute break will turn into an hour without even realizing it. I learned this the hard way.
If you have not yet downloaded this game, you should without a doubt. It is an easy game to get into. “Among Us” is such a fun and intriguing game to play.
