An Introduction and Review of Among Us

By Brigette Lee (Grade 11)

Among Us. Two words that have been thrown around the interwebs for quite some time and are starting to become familiar in our mouths and ears. 

Among Us. 

Having been tasked with writing this article, I have decided to download the game for research purposes but also to see what the fuss is all about. My conclusion? Among Us is worth all of the attention it has received. 

Players can customize their avatar with hats, skins, colours, and even miniature versions of themselves. There are options to make in-app purchases, and I am sure that many a hardcore player would indeed purchase these to flex on their friends and teammates. Once accumulating a desired total of 10 players in a game (or mainly 7+ because many players are too impatient to wait for 10), the game designates one to three of the players as imposters. While innocent crewmates traipse around the spaceship to finish tasks, imposters have the task of sabotaging or killing their teammates. 

Once a body is found or a friend decides to sabotage a friendship, one may press the big red button in the Cafeteria to prompt an Emergency Meeting. During this emergency meeting, teammates must discuss who they believe is/are the imposter(s) and vote to eject the player from the spaceship. In simple words, “it is a game that destroys relationships for the better” (Marcus Chu, 2020). Accusations are mercilessly thrown at friends and strangers sometimes based only on their “sus” username or avatar. In some cases, some may be fortunate enough to have another player attest to their task-doing and therefore provide an alibi as to not having been murdering a crewmate. 

At first, I was confused as to what made this game so appealing to people of all ages around the world but within the simplicity of the game, is where the joy lies. The uncertainty of not knowing if you could be killed at any moment and if your friends are truly dependable, and the delight when they are in fact, not, is entertaining to teenagers. Through Among Us, it has also been known for people to meet others playing on the same server and go on “task dates” or even have weddings in the cafeteria. 

The complete absurdity and silliness of this app has drawn people to play Among Us in the hopes of escaping school life and being able to be frivolous with strangers online. In contrast to the more aggressive and violent shooting games that video game players tend to play, Among Us is a stress-free and adorable-graphiced mobile pastime that is free of charge. 

In short, although many students start are known to start games during the limited minutes of a break, prompting questionable and aggravated looks from teachers, Among Us is still a game that should be appreciated. Because in the end, we are all just looking for something to get our minds off of the exhausting and stressful lives that we are currently living. 

So please download Among Us. It’s worth the hype.