Among Us is a multiplayer electronic game in which players take on the role of crewmates, originally on a spaceship. Each crewmate is given a list of tasks to perform, such as repairing vital systems or refueling the engines. Crewmates accomplish these tasks by succeeding at minigames, smaller games within the main game. However, one or a few players are secretly assigned to be impostors. Impostors look like crewmates, but it is their job to sabotage equipment and kill crewmates without being discovered.
Among Us can be played via the internet or a local wireless network. The game is played from a top-down perspective, with players moving around a map. Each player has a limited field of vision, enabling impostors to sneak around and conduct their mischief. When the body of a dead crewmate is discovered, play stops, and the players are taken to a meeting. Players can also call an emergency meeting. In a meeting, players share information in an attempt to deduce the identity of one or more impostors. The players can then vote to kick people out of the crew, with the goal of kicking out the impostors.
Among Us traces its style of play to a party game sometimes called Mafia or Werewolf. In that game, certain players are secretly selected to be “killers,” and the other players must work to deduce their identity. Among Us was developed by the game studio InnerSloth of Redmond, Washington, and released in 2018. Among Us exploded in popularity in mid-2020, partly through playthroughs (video recordings of gameplay) posted on the video-streaming service Twitch.
