Among Us
By Emaud Arador (‘21)
Although you may have never recalibrated the sensors in an electrical room or caused a reactor meltdown in a spaceship in the real world, you can do all of that in the deceptional multiplayer game, Among Us.
The video game heavily relies on information and deceit. Among the maximum limit of 10 crewmates are 1-3 impostors. The crewmates are required to figure out who the impostors are and vote them out. Crewmates must work together and communicate through an in-game chat, a third party call, or in-person. Players are allowed to share their suspicions and information during voting sessions and emergency meetings (triggered by an eager player). An alternative to removing the impostors from the game and to win is to complete the tasks. These tasks, which range in time and difficulty, are scattered around the map. For example, destroying asteroids, repairing shields, reconnecting wires, and restoring an amethyst crystal are a few tasks you can perform. While completing various tasks, the crewmates try their best to survive as the impostors pick them off one by one. The impostor’s goal is to eliminate all the crewmates and stop tasks from being completed. The impostor wins when they outnumber the crewmates. The game is best to play with friends and family, but there is also an online option available.
Among Us was released in early 2018 by the game studio InnerSloth. Back in 2018, the game did not receive much attention and only had a small number of players from its release to July 2020. During the COVID-19 outbreak, many people around the world found themselves bored and in need of trying something new and fun. The game received a massive spike in popularity due to Twitch streamers and YouTubers, such as Sodapoppin, xQc, Pokimane, and others that played and streamed Among Us on their channels. Many of their viewers got into the action and the word spread like wildfire. Among Us became more than just a game, and fans put their own signature on it through fanart of crewmates, memes, and more gameplays. The once-underrated 10/10 game truly deserves the attention it received.
Recently, however, the plans for the sequel to the game, Among Us 2, were cancelled. The developers of the game decided to focus working more on the original Among Us and adding enhancements to it because of its sudden rise in popularity. The game will be receiving updates (game performance, content, accessibility, etc.) in the near future.
