Among Us

Among Us is a casual multiplayer online game focused on social deduction. It is a simplified and fast-paced version of "Mafia": from 4 to 10 players try to survive by completing simple tasks, but one of them is actually the traitor. To win, the traitor needs to eliminate other team members while constantly avoiding detection and removal from the group. Depending on the server rules, the average game time is from 3 to 15 minutes.

Like other casual games, Among Us is simplified to the extreme. There is no intricate game lore, vast world, or long leveling up. Even the characters look the same and differ only in color. For customization, there are pets and skins with hats. The maps consist of a set of rooms connected by corridors. The controls are limited to a couple of actions, map viewing, and movement.

The field of vision is an important part of the gameplay. Players do not see the entire corridor or room at once, but only the area within a certain radius around them. Objects in the line of sight create dark spots where nothing is visible. This encourages players to be attentive, look around, and check corners.

For the peaceful players, many simple tasks are scattered across the map in formats like "connect wires by color," "flip the switch," "scan," "upload data," and so on. The quests are divided into common and unique for each player. Completing all of them will automatically lead to victory for the peaceful players.

For the traitor, tasks turn into sabotage goals. Breaking the electricity will reduce the field of vision for the peaceful players, making it easier to kill them. A communication failure will render cameras useless. Sabotaging critical systems, like the nuclear reactor, will put the peaceful players on the brink of losing. All this can be done with one press on the sabotage map, allowing the traitor to be physically at the other end of the map.

Both types of players do not disappear after death; they remain as ghosts. They cannot communicate with living team members, vote, kill, or report bodies, but they can pass through walls, open doors, and have a wide field of vision. Team members can continue completing their tasks, while traitors, if there is more than one in the group, can cause minor sabotage.

If a player finds themselves on the team of peaceful players, they need to:

The tactics of the team members are simple. Stick together, keep an eye on each other, do not separate. Know the map thoroughly, understand who could and could not have come from where. It is also necessary to know the connections of the ventilation system where the enemy might crawl.

If a player is the traitor (impostor), they need to:

The traitor's tactics are a bit more complex. They need to ambush a lone innocent in the right place without witnesses, while ensuring they have an alibi. Ideally, someone should see them in another location. Usually, a critical failure needs to be staged, and amidst the resulting chaos, stealthily eliminate someone. Some maps allow escaping the crime scene through ventilation, but without knowledge of the map and a bit of luck, one can always emerge under the watchful eye.

Upon discovering a body, a discussion is called. Each player shares their view on who could have done it, presents evidence, and votes to exclude the player they suspect from the group. Being voted out means the character's death, but there may not be enough votes to make a decision.

Often, there is no evidence, and identifying the traitor must be done logically: knowing the map, the murder location, and who came from where. The traitor's task is not only to divert suspicion from themselves if there is any, or to refute accusations if someone witnessed the crime, but also to successfully frame an innocent. This way, one can eliminate two crew members at once.

Success for the killer is achieved through a symbiosis of correct actions and confident lies. It’s not enough to just imitate an innocent while avoiding unnecessary eyes, cutting off communication, and lights. One must convincingly prove that they are not involved, while the yellow or green players are idle, acting suspiciously, and have no alibi.

With the gift of persuasion, it’s important not to overdo it. Actively campaigning against one person — you’ll be voted out right after them. If you go completely silent — you’re afraid, plotting a cunning plan, ready to exit. If you assert something definitively — it means you’re intentionally framing someone. If your voice trembles at an unexpected question — you’re caught, traitor! During the discussion, it’s necessary to carefully place accents and understand human psychology.

If there are two or three traitors, this significantly changes the social aspect of Among Us. After all, traitors are not friends, but just partners. If one is revealed, the other will have to throw the first one under the bus, rather than protect them. Otherwise, it will become clear to everyone that this pair is together.

The emotional intensity rises when using voice chat instead of text, and the game is played among acquaintances, not random players. Knowing how friends react to stress or lies makes it easier to gauge whether the behavior is normal or if someone is hiding something. Or maybe they are so PRO in communication that they are meticulously imitating a natural reaction?

All these possibilities further immerse the player in the process.

At the end of 2020, Among Us had three maps, functionally consisting of small and large rooms connected by narrow corridors. There is no definitively safe place on the map where you can gather in a group and wait it out. However, as a rule, there is one very dangerous place that is better to enter in groups of three, and a couple of risky rooms where you shouldn't linger.