Despite the fact that the game has already been released for two years, the now viral game, Among Us, has taken space on many people’s phones and computers. This fun mafia-like game has taken over social media with memes and has been a talking point for many people. Thousands of uploads to YouTube over the course of a couple of days, all about Among Us. It has been flooding people’s feeds. This explosion of social media presence has introduced Prep and Villa to the new hottest game.

Among Us as a game starts with around 7-10 crewmates, on a ship, with 1-3 imposters taking up crewmate spots. It is the crewmate’s job to find the imposter in order to save everyone. The imposter’s job is to kill the crewmates and take over the ship. The crewmates are also given tasks that vary from player to player. As the game is played, dead bodies lay around from imposter killings, and these bodies can be reported. This brings all players, even imposters, to a meeting to discuss with each other. People can accuse, or falsely accuse, and vote who they believe is the imposter. Whoever is voted out is sent out of the ship and out of the game. The game ends when either the crewmates vote out the imposters, or the number of imposters equals the number of living crewmates. 

Students all over the country are playing this game, and at Prep and Villa it is no different. There has been lots of praise about the game with it being a hot topic in conversations.

“I think it’s a lot of fun to play with a group of friends,” Aidan Richter, a sophomore at Prep said. “I enjoy trying to figure out who the imposter is.”

It’s not just him who finds the game fun, however. During the freshman orientation, when the students had down time, many of them would create groups together to play Among Us.

With a game this big, it’s a wonder how it’s gotten so popular. Most students learned about this game from sources like TikTok or YouTube. Aidan said he heard about it from watching his favorite YouTubers. He thought the game was original and interesting, and watching Among Us TikToks come up on his page always gave him a laugh, so he gave it a try. Others have heard it from friends, such as Hailey Martin, a senior at Villa, who said once she had talked about it with her friends, she started playing. 

The game doesn’t end with high school students, however. Recent Cathedral Prep graduate Daniel Tometsko, currently a student at the University of Akron, heard about it from a friend. He thought the idea of being a detective and a criminal was unique. 

Students had different opinions on why they think the game is so popular.

“[It is popular] for its originality,” Aidan said. “I don’t think it’s been done in a video game, [so] people find that interesting.”

With a game like Among Us, originality is key. It allows experienced and inexperienced gamers alike to all have the same reaction towards the game.

Prep junior Jalen Salvi believes the game became popular because of TikTok. 

“Everything nowadays gets popular from there,” Jalen said. 

Overall, Among Us is the game as of now. Its overwhelming presence is currently unmatched by any other source of media or entertainment. Will it crash and burn? Will it retain some players? Only time will tell.