Among Us has become a very popular gaming sensation over the past 9 months during quarantine. Designed to work like the popular in-person game, Mafia, where there is an imposter among the rest of the crewmates. They then must find out who the imposter is while completing tasks. If the imposter ends up killing all the crewmates, they then win the game. If the imposter gets caught, they can be voted off and then all the crewmates win.

The app was originally released in 2018 From Innersloth for Android and IOS users but didn’t attract much attention until this spring. Among Us went under the radar for a long time before YouTubers and Twitch streamers made the game known to everyone stuck at home, wanting to find ways to stay connected with friends. This game had an uprise in popularity in the late spring which was also while people were in quarantine. The game was an escape and something fun to do while in quarantine to help pass the time. It also allowed people to connect with their friends and do something fun since in quarantine they weren’t allowed to see each other. When most people downloaded it, they told their friends about it who told their friends as well, which helped spread how many people played, thus the big uprise in popularity.

Carli Romano, age 15, says, “It started out as a trend, but once I began to play it became very addicting. You can also play with a bunch of your friends at the same time, which is what I do.”

When asked, most people said they heard about the game from friends or social media platforms like Tik Tok or Youtube. Also, while playing the game you can play with random people online, or play with friends, which people enjoyed more and tended to play the game with. During these strange times, Amaya Brettschneider, 12, is enjoying Among Us for these very reasons.

“I like playing this game because it’s something I can do in my free time, or when I’m done with school and homework. Usually, I play it almost every day with my friends, since Covid has restricted me from seeing them, this is a way I can have fun with them even if we aren’t together. I mostly play with my sister and my cousins because it’s something we all enjoy playing.”

Originally Innersloth intended on developing a sequel, but it was soon canceled. The developers decided to focus more on improving the original game. Players like the thrill of Among Us. Trying to guess who the imposter keeps them on edge the whole game. Many people ranging from ages 10-25 have taken an interest in the game and it doesn’t seem it will be going anywhere anytime soon.