by Kassidy Hart–The game Among Us is trending all over the nation and Morningside is no stranger to it. Students, both regular gamers and non-gamers, are participating in this trend, finding it to be an escape from the stresses of classes.
Among Us is a classic “Who Dun It” game. There are ten players on a spaceship and the number of imposters (also known as the murderers) range from one to three. The object of the game changes with the role the player is assigned. Crewmates aim to guess the imposter or beat them by doing tasks; the imposter(s) aim to kill the majority of crewmates without being caught.
The free app is available on the Google play store or Apple Store and has attracted many types of players, including those who have little experience with video games.
Senior Mackenzie Bennett is not a regular gamer but has found herself playing almost every day for thirty minutes at a time.
“Everybody was playing it and I got really bored one night on (Resident Life) duty and started playing it,” Bennett said.
There are different ways players can play the game. They can choose to play with friends or online with strangers. Since either option allows players to play with people not in the surrounding area, the chat feature allows for players to easily discuss who they believe the imposter to be.
For Bennett, who plays the game online, the chat feature is more of a game within itself.
“I’ll use the chat to create chaos and confusion,” Bennett said.
The game has proved to have its benefits for students who are not regular gamers, such as being easy to use and stress relieving.
“I probably play it one to two times a day because it can make time pass by quickly,” junior Megan Drey said.
Junior Darrian Adkins considers himself a regular gamer, often gravitating towards role playing games, offers insight on the deeper skills the game can help students develop.
“For starters, a large part of the game is talking out problems. The players have to present an argument as to who they think is an imposter and the imposter has to present an argument as to why they are not. I would say the main two skills the game focuses on would be teamwork and communication,” Adkins said.
Though there are benefits to the game being so simple, students with more experience in the gaming world can also offer critiques of the game as well.
“The public lobbies are fine but can be much less cohesive and enjoyable than playing with friends,” senior Devon Payne said. “There could be additional kill animations and more cosmetics that aren’t hidden behind a paywall. I would also like to alter major settings without having to leave a game and host a new one.”
The game has become so popular that some students even went out of their way to make a Halloween costume based on the characters. One student, sophomore Kaelin Armstrong, dressed up as the orange character while her best friend from Iowa State University, Leah, was the black character.
“The idea originally came from me. Surprisingly, most people knew who we were supposed to be and those who didn’t accepted it was a character from a game,” Armstrong said. “I had to find orange clothes and make the mask and hat topper. The knife in my Instagram picture was real but was only used for the picture.”
Senior Tauna Mayhorn offers some advice to new players who may be naïve to the tactics of winning the game.
“Trust no one but listen to everyone when they begin making accusations,” Mayhorn said.
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