GAMING 101
A Parents’ Guide to Among Us!
Everything you need to know about the social gaming sensation.
Among Us!
Games
If your children tell you their siblings are “sus” when cookies go missing from the cupboard, chances are they’ve been swept up in the Among Us! phenomenon. And with good reason: The colorful whodunit is easy to play and endlessly fun. Curious if it’s right for your kids? Read on.
What’s Among Us! all about?
Among Us! is a multiplayer game of deduction. A group of players—at least four, but as many as 10—control cute bean-shaped astronauts aboard a spaceship.
Most players are Crewmates, whose job is to complete a checklist of tasks (connect broken wires, shoot down asteroids). But there’s at least one Impostor in each round of Among Us! with a more nefarious goal: to kill off all the Crewmates without getting caught.
When a Crewmate discovers a body, all the players enter a text chat room to discuss who they think the Impostor might be. Then everyone votes: The player who gets the most votes is punted out of the virtual airlock.
If they were in fact the Impostor, the Crewmates win! If not, the game continues.
Is it violent?
When an Impostor kills a Crewmate, the victim sees a quick, cartoony animation. The killings are bloodless, but you do see a dead body that has a comically large bone sticking out of its lower half.
Does the game cost anything to play?
Among Us! is free to download, and the ad-supported version is free to play. If you want to decorate your character, you can buy hats, pet companions, and other accessories as in-app purchases. You can also disable all in-game advertisements with a onetime purchase.
Will my child chat with strangers?
In a public game, yes. In addition to engaging in text chats that pop up whenever a Crewmate finds a body, players can converse freely over text (no audio or video) in the pregame lobby while waiting for the round to start.
Among Us! filters most naughty words, but there’s nothing to prevent the subject matter or tone from veering toward the kid-inappropriate. There’s also no option to disable chat.
For added security, you can create private games accessible only with a special code. This is the best way to play online with pals. The “local” option lets you quickly set up a round with others on the same Wi-Fi network. Perfect for game night at home.
Why does my kid keep saying things are “sus”?
The popularity of Among Us! has spawned memes, parodies, and even its own slang. “Sus” is shorthand for “suspicious”—if the red player is spotted doing something devious, another player might say, “Red is looking sus!”
Can I play too?
Definitely! Tap “How to Play” on the main menu to get a rundown of the basics. Then choose Freeplay mode to get a feel for how the Crewmate tasks work. It’s a wonderful, quirky party game for families—nothing sus about it!