With 158 million installs worldwide according to an article published by CNBC on Oct.14, the popular multiplayer social deduction game “Among Us” has captured the hearts of people throughout the world. 

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, people of all ages have found themselves stuck at home finding new ways to safely socialize with their friends. Among Us was a godsend during the pandemic; it allowed for groups of 4-10 friends to compete in this unique murder mystery/strategy game.

 “It’s a good way for a bunch of my buddies to get on and murder each other for like four hours,” said senior Gavin Thompson.

Among Us is a game where there are several “crewmates” and one-three “imposters.” Crewmates’ duties involve running around large maps, completing simple puzzle-like tasks. The imposter or imposters’ job is to strategically run around these maps and kill the crewmates without getting caught. The objective of the game is to either complete all of your assigned tasks or to vote out the imposter. 

What sets this game apart is that there’s no talking allowed. While on a call with your friends, you must mute yourself during the game until an emergency meeting is called or a dead body is seen by a crewmate and reported. During this timed meeting, all players except for those who are either out or dead, may unmute and share their thoughts as to who the imposter is.

Lies, betrayal, and alibis are what you’ll get from this extremely different game. What some people may not know about this game is that it did not instantly gain popularity with the gaming community. It was developed by a small gaming studio, InnerSloth, and was released on June 15, 2018, with only 17 people total playing the game in November of 2018 according to Steam Charts. Among Us has earned a lot of attention and positive reviews from just about anyone who plays it.

“Solid game overall,” said Thompson.

Not only is the game extremely fun and delightfully nerve-wracking, but it also gives groups of friends a chance to do something fun together for a change. 

“It was a good opportunity to meet up with older friends that I really haven’t had the reason to talk to much,” said Nick Balara, senior.

Just about every video trending on YouTube Gaming and popular live streaming platform Twitch TV seems to be Among Us, with many big names in the gaming community such as Markiplier, PewDiePie, and JackSepticEye. Even New York District 14 Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dabbled in the newly popular game to promote voting. 

Nearly everyone who plays the game encourages anyone who hasn’t played it before to get a group of their friends and play it. It’s free on the Apple App Store and the Google Play store as well as $4.99 on Steam for computers. And yes, the game is cross-platform.