2020 has brought about a lot of uncertainty, but one thing that is certain is the video game Among Us. Having gained rapid popularity within the past few months, it is constantly being played worldwide. There are many reasons and theories on why this game is so popular and we will get to see the actual numbers on how many people play it. The reasons for why a simple and easy game became so famous and popular can be classified into two categories. The first one being that the game’s idea is perfect to gain an audience fast, and the second is that the internet sold and promoted it to the public.
The Idea of The Game:
There were about 388,385 people playing Among Us simultaneously in September of this year according to Steam Charts--these numbers are comparable to GTA V [Fenlon]. The idea of the game is very simple since there are only two main roles, to be a crewmate or an impostor. This type of game of finding out who the traitor is or trying to blame someone else for it is not new—in fact, it originates from the 1980s. Therefore it is like playing more antique games that had this idea that became very popular, like 2002’s Mafia, to name one. There is no invention, it is just taking the idea of something that originated in the 80s and bringing it to 2020 in a modern mobile game.
Another aspect is the psychological side [Crider], and how it is addictive and entertaining it is. What is great about Among Us is that it does not matter if you play with people you know or not, the plot and the tension does not change. This game requires teamwork to figure out who could be the impostor and to finish the tasks quickly while also lying if you are the impostor. This natural suspense can make it very entertaining and engaging, especially in cases where one crewmate spots an impostor and has to convince the team to vote him/her out. This is one of the reasons believed that has caused Among Us not only to become popular but also to make people play it frequently and not grow bored of it even though the aim and tasks do not change. This then feeds off to improving the way people can play because the player can find patterns and mistakes people make or how to move around efficiently to hiding spot, et cetera.
The Streaming in 2020:
Apart from the fact that the game has a simple and entertaining style of playing that not only makes people enjoy but also get involved in teamwork and use their intellectual abilities, Twitch and YouTube also helped to promote it [Louise]. The world has been suffering from the pandemic, with many countries having to take the decision of going to a full lockdown at some stage of the year. People could not leave their homes and the only form of entertainment was limited to the accessibility to what they had at home. Therefore, many people relied on streaming platforms to feel entertained and not alone. As of this year, it all started with a few streamers playing the game, attracting other streamers’ attentions and making them play the game too and so on. So in the end, people also started playing during lockdowns in many places to get a feeling of not being alone and to have something to do. In September, there were on average 191,000 viewers watching Among Us gameplays on Twitch.
This cycle got bigger, and it continues to grow. What is not known yet is if this game has already met its full potential or if it could become even more popular and how long will it last. It is just a matter of time to figure out how much this game develops and how the public reacts to it. However, due to the various reasons examined above, it is certain that Among Us has become one of the most played games in 2020.
Works Cited:
Crider, Michael. “What Is 'Among Us', and How Did It Get So Popular?” Review Geek, Review Geek, 26 Oct. 2020, www.reviewgeek.com/58061/what-is-among-us-and-how-did-it-get-so-popular/.
Fenlon, Wes. “How Among Us Became so Wildly Popular.” Pcgamer, PC Gamer, 24 Sept. 2020, www.pcgamer.com/how-among-us-became-so-popular/.
Louise, Brynley. “How Did 'Among Us' Become so Popular in 2020?” Film Daily, 30 Sept. 2020, filmdaily.co/gaming/among-us-popular/.
Images Cited:
B., Rishabh. “The Unprecedented Rise of Among Us.” Sports News, Sportskeeda, 18 Sept. 2020, www.sportskeeda.com/esports/the-unprecedented-rise-among-us.
Rothery, Jen. “Among Us Imposter Guide.” PCGamesN, 30 Sept. 2020,
“Among Us for Android - APK Download.” APKPure.com, Innersloth LLC, 3 Nov. 2020, apkpure.com/among-us/com.innersloth.spacemafia.
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