Recently, a game called Among Us has been rising in popularity. First released by game studio InnerSloth in 2018, the game has a concept similar to the old classic Mafia, where the objective of the game is to find the two secret assassins in a group. Among Us, however, comes with an interesting twist. Set in a spaceship, the players (crewmates) win by working together to either vote out the one to three imposters or complete all tasks necessary for the spaceship to function. While the imposters do have an adjustable cooldown  period, they also have a few special advantages: They can “sabotage” some of the tasks on the spaceship or “vent” across the map. 

So how did a game from 2018 suddenly become mainstream? Twitch, the popular live streaming platform for gamers, seems to be the answer. When well-known Twitch streamers like xQc and sodapoppin, with tens of thousands of viewers, began playing Among Us, it set off a chain reaction. Soon, many content creators jumped on the bandwagon and Among Us reached YouTube, where popular gaming channels there picked up the game as well. 

Since Among Us is a free game that can be played cross-platform and has servers worldwide, countless people have taken a liking to it. They enjoy the colorful animations and engaging tasks, along with the ability to customize their characters. In addition, many players look forward to the adrenaline rush from being an imposter that gets from getting away with murder or the satisfaction as crewmates when they successfully out the assassins. Especially in a time of quarantine, where large gatherings are not recommended, Among Us creates a fun way to play and connect with your friends.