Is there an imposter Among Us?

Red is sus, I saw them in electrical!

Among Us is an online game, similar to Mafia, where the innocent “crewmates” have to find the murderous “imposter(s).” The main objective of the game for crewmates is to finish their tasks and catch the imposter. For the imposter(s), they are to blend in along with the crewmates but must slyly eliminate each crewmate to win the game. To assist the imposter(s), they have access to vents which allow them to sneakily travel throughout the map without the crewmates seeing them. They are also able to sabotage certain parts of the maps, which will cause the crewmates to go and fix what was sabotaged.

“I started watching this streamer on Twitch called Sykkuno so I could see him play with others, but I ended up liking the game myself,” senior Dana Ta said. 

Among Us released in mid 2018 but became extremely popular again this year because of a content creator group called “OfflineTV.” The group is extremely popular on the streaming platform Twitch where they stream themselves playing various games but have recently focused on Among Us. As a result of the game being streamed to thousands of viewers, many memes and jokes have surfaced. 

Like any other game, many memes have been circulating as a result of its popularity. One that is now a part of many students’ vocabulary is “sus.” The word is short for suspicious and is used frequently to call someone out. Another inside joke with Among Us players is a room in the game called “electrical.” The gag is that many kills happen in this room as the crewmates can be vulnerable while doing their tasks or fixing the lights. 

“My favorite joke is when people pretend to be imposters by asking questions like ‘How do I vent like that person?’ or ‘Why is this person’s name red?’ It makes the games more interesting and keeps people on edge.” sophomore Tiffany Lam said. 

The game has not only brought the online community together but also the school community. Santa Fe’s Chinese Club hosted an Among Us game as their first activity this year to bring students from the Edmond district together. They used Discord, a platform used to create various communities with the use of “servers,” to communicate and host several games. 

“We figured that most people were already interested in this game [Among Us] and knew how to play it. Plus, it was perfect for long distance online playing amongst friends,” Annie Bone Chinese club president said, “On the day of the event, everything went smoothly.”

With Among Us changing frequently and many updates being added, it is a game that has left its mark on Gen Z’s as the most popular game of 2020.