Everyone is always arguing about what the best game of the year is, but let’s be honest: Among Us is the game we all needed in 2020. It’s got the action, the strategy, and surprising twists we didn’t know we wanted, all from the safety of our keyboards.
If you remember playing Mafia, Werewolf, or Town of Salem, Among Us will bring back the nostalgia of social deduction games with an extra element: instead of sitting around waiting to uncover the impostors, players actively complete tasks and attempt to play witness to the events. The game has seen an influx of players recently, filling their Discord to the limit!
Playing is your best teacher
Whether it is the thrill of sabotaging the crew or escaping from the impostors, every game provides a new experience. As the crew roams the map completing their tasks, they must observe their surroundings, carefully looking out for the impostors. Meanwhile, the impostors are scheming sly ways to reduce the crew in order to take control of the game.
At the beginning of a game, up to 10 players enter an online room code while the host sets up a variety of settings like timers, number of tasks, and vision radius. A set number of impostors are randomly selected, and each of the players sets out to complete their goal. Crew members win if all of the tasks are completed or they vote off the impostors. Impostors win if a sabotage is left unaddressed or if they attain an equal or greater player count of the crew through elimination. If a body is found, the group convenes, and everyone pitches for their innocence.
Within these meetings is where we can all learn the most—both inside the game and as outside observers. Players must learn how to pitch their best alibi and uncover who might be misleading the rest of the group. In order to win, it is important to communicate clearly and effectively. However, sometimes even the impostors can use good evidence against the innocent, instilling doubt among the crew.
Despite our best intentions, sometimes these kinds of miscommunications happen outside of these emergency meetings. That is why a game like Among Us is not really fun for everyone involved, but a great teaching opportunity as well. As the game proceeds, players will have to learn how to read the crowd and develop new strategies to reach their ultimate goal regardless of what side they are on.
Attention to the little details
What makes this one of the best games of 2020 is that winning requires serious strategic listening skills. Even though there are cameras and logs, there are still plenty of places for impostors to corner the crew. The impostors are waiting for even a shred of doubt to throw the crew into chaos.
That means players not only have to rely on intel from each other but also sort through the realm of possibilities. Talking too much (mature language warning) or too little can get you in trouble. If you make a mention of the wrong keyword or get lost in what you were doing, you might end up losing the trust of your teammates.
Building for the future
The game has recently taken over the streaming world, becoming the second most watched game on Twitch in the past 14 days. What might surprise some players is that Among Us was released by Inner Sloth almost two years ago. That in itself is a testament to never giving up on what you believe in. In fact, the developers have confirmed that Among Us 2 is in the works looking to add features like more room in a lobby, additional roles, and more.
Not everything from this game can or should be applied on an everyday level, but if we sit back and reflect on what this game is doing within our communities, there’s a lot to learn. Maybe if we thought about the unique perspective everyone brings to the table, we could accomplish so much more.
Consider joining a community like our Discord to make your gaming experience even better. Games are always fun with friends, but games like Among Us give us more reason to want to play with people new to us. Make new friends and share some positivity!