In recent months, the two-year-old online game “Among Us” began to blow up out of nowhere. It is a multiplayer game that you can play with 4-10 people. Players are randomly assigned the role of Crewmate or Impostor when they join a round . Crewmates have to run around the spaceship and try to complete tasks, while the Impostor fakes tasks and tries to get away with “killing” people. The Crewmates all look like little astronauts of all different colors. The Impostors look the exactly same. When a meeting is called, players can discuss who they believe is the Impostor and anyone is at risk of being voted off. Some people enjoy it because they enjoy playing with their friends, while others enjoy it for the suspense of it.

     When this game first came out two years ago, it had very little traction. Not many people knew about it until it became popular on Twitch and streamers with large followings began to play it. Twitch is the world’s leading live streaming platform for gamers. All their viewers began to play, too. It blew up across the country and kids of all ages became hooked on it. It’s a very simple and cheap game to play, it’s even free on your phone, so almost everyone has access to it. 

     In the times of COVID where it feels like all you can do is sit around, playing Among Us is a nice way to connect with your friends while also social distancing. Being quarantined leaves you feeling isolated, but this is the perfect opportunity to break out of that, which is most likely the main reason it blew up. Hopping onto this suspenseful game provides you with the chance to interact with your friends or, even strangers, from your own home, without the risk of catching or spreading COVID. Not being able to see people leaves you craving interaction, and this game is a perfect way to get that. Whether you play with your friends or with strangers, there will be someone there to chat and play with. 

     Because of how easy this game is to play, there are several different age groups who enjoy it. William Patino attends from Hampton Bays Pre-K. His favorite thing about the game is being Imposter and playing friends. “I like my servers, too!” he added, but being a typical four-year-old, he refused to elaborate. 

     Skye Patino, a student at Hampton Bays Middle School said her favorite thing about Among Us is “teamwork and working together with her friends.” 

     16-year-old Jules Schuch from Mattituck, who also enjoys playing Among Us, said, “I like that you can play with your friends and you can change your character to something cute even though you’re killing people.”

     Dylan Abbott, an 18-year-old Hampton Bays 2020 graduate, said, “I like that you have no idea who the Impostor is and all the drama and fighting that ensues when it’s time to vote. I think I like it so much because it reminds me of the show Survivor in a way because of all the distrust and commotion caused every time a player is eliminated.” 

     No matter the age, Among Us is helping bring people together while we’re forced to stay apart.