In the past few months, a new game has arisen out of nowhere, taking the gaming industry by storm. That’s right folks, I’m talking about Among Us. Launching in 2018 with little traction, it slowly started to gain players and ultimately boomed in 2020 with an estimated 3.8 million players as of September. Among Us is a game like no other. Similar to Mafia, there are crewmates on a spaceship with one, two or three imposters that kill the crewmates. The game ends if 1) the imposters have been voted out, 2) all crewmates finish the tasks or 3) the imposters kill everyone. Among Us is a game that provides social interaction in the time of COVID-19 and has created a culture off of Tik Tok and the vast reach it has in the gaming industry.

In March, our social interaction became greatly diminished due to COVID-19, but Among Us has the ability to give players a sense of normalcy through the social aspect of the game. On the platform, players can create a private game and invite friends with a link and then use a video platform to talk about who the imposter is or team up together to stay alive. Another perk is the discussion thread, which is triggered by finding a dead body or calling an emergency meeting. Through these discussions, you can spice up your Among Us experience by meeting new friends. The discussions give the players the social interaction we all are lacking in this time.

Among Us is a huge topic of Tik Tok trends and videos while also boasting an impressive collection of mainstream gamers and influencers streaming their games. On Tik Tok, #amongus has garnered over 10.2 billion views, which is more than the current population of the world. Most of the videos are a real-life version of the game or a comedy re-enactment of the emphasizing AU slang such as “I was in MedBay,” “Where,” “black sus,” “I was with pink” and “blue vented.” This has created somewhat of a tradition in the game where players can bond over someone being suspicious or “sus,” as avid players would say. 

Looking at the streaming side, the main platforms in the gaming industry are Twitch and YouTube. Among Us is dominating on both. Lately, gamers and influencers such as Pewdiepie, James Charles, Pokimane and more have been streaming the game. This definitely has helped the game grow but before it became mainstream, two gamers named AdmiralBulldog and singsing—boasting a collective following of over 1.3 million—brought the game to the attention of the gaming industry in July 2020. Mainstream media has shaped this game into a global phenomenon by creating content around the idea of imposters and streaming games. It’s hard to ignore the powerhouse Among Us has turned into. 

Among Us brings life to this quarantine period. The sudden culture boom is taking over the internet. Among Us has allowed people to connect all over the world which gives a sense of social inclusion in this lonely time. To be part of this community all you have to do is download the app through any app store or Steam.