Among us: The Secret Behind the Success?
In today’s digitized world, children no longer have to go to their friends’ houses to play Clue, Monopoly, or Cops and Robbers. Today, there are virtual versions of these same games and many more. Having said that, we want to talk about one that’s particularly popular right now: Among us! If you’re a parent, then you’ve probably already heard of it!
Among us is the multiplayer video game for cell phones, tablets, and computers that’s attracted millions of children and teenagers all over the world. What makes this game so enthralling for children? Below, we’ll answer this and many other questions regarding one of the most popular online video games right now.
Among us: What does the game consist of?
To play Among us, you need a minimum of four and a maximum of ten people to connect to the game. Once everyone is online, the game begins!
The setting of the video game is outer space. Most of the players are the crew of a spaceship, while between one and three players act as impostors. These roles are assigned randomly at the beginning of the game and, depending on this, the functions that each player carries out in the game are very different:
- The crew members have to complete the assigned tasks as quickly as possible and discover who the impostors are.
- The impostors have to sabotage the mission of the crew members, killing them one by one and trying not to raise suspicions.
- When the crew members are killed, they automatically become ghosts and can continue with their tasks, but without having the option of interacting with the other players.
The game ends when one of the two groups wins, that is, when:
- The crew members manage to finish all their tasks or discover the identity of the impostors.
- The impostors manage to kill all the crew members of the ship.
What’s the secret behind the success of the game among children and teenagers?
This simple game triumphs so much among children and adolescents for several reasons, among which are the following:
- The visibility that certain famous gamers, YouTubers, and influencers have given it. They play Among us and make it public on their channels.
- The simplicity of its rules. The mechanics of the game is very easy to learn, so you don’t need much experience in games of the same style to move with ease within the virtual world of Among us.
- You don’t have to have any big technological equipment to play. You just need an electronic device (mobile, tablet, or computer) and internet connection, both of which are fairly commonplace these days.
- The game promotes socialization and teamwork, since it’s a multiplayer video game in which participants have to communicate with each other to unmask the impostors, as well as cooperate with one another to perform all the tasks assigned.
- It’s based on strategy and deception, which makes the game very interesting and fun.
Benefits and risks of Among us
As we’ve explained before, Among us is a game that can help children and teenagers to:
- Improve their social and communication skills
- Learn to work as a group
- Develop strategic thinking
However, we must also talk about the risks that playing this game online can expose children to. One of the main dangers has to do with public chat rooms, where children can talk with a large number of strangers. To prevent children from communicating with malicious individuals, it’s best for parents to do the following:
- Activate the censorship chat option, so that it doesn’t allow the display of inappropriate or offensive words.
- Allow kids to play only private games with their friends, family, or relatives.
At the same time, you must bear in mind that the recommended age to be able to play Among us is 10 years and up. For this reason, children under the age of 10 shouldn’t have access to the game.
Finally, it’s important to remember that anything in excess is bad. As mothers, fathers, or caretakers of children and adolescents, we must make sure that kids don’t spend endless hours playing Among us. It’s important to control how much time they spend on the game because, otherwise, a simple hobby like this can become a real addiction.
In short, playing Among us can be a good source of entertainment and fun at home for children and adolescents, but always with responsibility and control.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Barbabella, M. y Cernaz, S. G. (2015). La infancia y los videojuegos: un aporte desde la perspectiva de los niños. Diálogos Pedagógicos, 86-105.