Elternguide Logo
19.02.2021

Among Us – Betrayal among friends

☕️
3 minutes reading time
6-17 years
Communication
Entertainment
Games
Tool description
Bild: innersloth.com

The Corona crisis led to the game Among Us experiencing a boom. It is not a game that you play alone for yourself, it only works in a group. The exchange via audio chat plays an important role. Communication in the group makes the game fun and exciting.

In brief

  • entertaining online multiplayer game (for 4 to 10 people)
  • as an app for iOS and Android free of charge (but with advertising)
  • paid for PC (only for Windows, via Steam with account)
  • contains in-app purchases
  • Age rating: 6 years and up; recommended for 10 years and up

What is Among Us?

The gameplay of Among Us is familiar from party games like Werewolves or Zombies: a group of people has to defend themselves against one or more traitors and survive. At the beginning of a game round, each person is randomly assigned a certain role: In Among Us, this is either Crewmate or Impostor.

The crew of a spaceship must make repairs – in the form of small game-like tasks – to be able to fly again. The cheat or cheats among them (with ten players, there can be up to three) sabotage the crew’s efforts and kill individual crew members one by one. The crew can call meetings to find out who the Impostors are. Suspects can be voted out and must leave the spaceship rudely. Either the crew has won if they have unmasked the cheaters or completed all the tasks. Or the Impostor win if most of the crewmates were killed.

The operation of the game is simple. If you play via PC with mouse it is easier to move your avatar.

There are different maps (or spaceships) to play on. A game round lasts no more than half an hour. Each game can be customized by settings in the difficulty level by the so-called host.

Since sharing about possible impostors is an essential element, communication is done through a channel such as video chat.

A detailed insight into the game can be found in the video from the game guide NRW.

What excites children and young people about the game?

Among Us works on a simple and well-known game principle: good versus evil. This is especially popular with children because it is easy to understand. In addition, the lovingly colorful design and fantastic game world on a spaceship. The custom avatars are cute game characters that can be customized. The tasks to be fulfilled are like small games in the game and mostly easy to solve. But the whole game can only be won together. Thus, the game is a joint activity and therefore entertaining not only for children and teenagers.

What is problematic about the game?

The game is only available in English. The language of the game is not crucial to be able to play it. However, it is easier to know English to understand everything and find your way around the spaceship. Especially for younger school children this could be difficult.

The graphics are colorful and the action on a spaceship is unrealistic, but still other characters get killed. The graphic depiction of these murders can be frightening to younger children.

If you are an Impostor at the beginning of a game round, you must remain unsuspicious the entire time. For some players this is very exciting and therefore also exhausting. In the conversations during the game, the cheater is forced to lie. So he or she has to lie to their own friends. This can certainly lead to arguments in some groups if the game is taken too seriously.

It is also possible to play Among Us with strangers by searching “public games”. Here children can come into contact with strangers. Read more about the associated risks in our article on communication in online games.

Via in-app purchases, the player’s own character can be equipped with exclusive accessories for money.

What does the provider say?

Among Us comes from the American independent game company Innersloth. On their website you can find information about data protection and privacy – but only in English. When starting a private game, the server through which the game is played can be selected (Europe, Asia, North America).

Among Us can be played anonymously: It is not necessary to create a profile and no personal information such as full name or email address needs to be provided.

As a parent, what should you be aware of?

Children over the age of ten should be able to distinguish well between reality and a made-up story. In addition, they can already discuss with each other from this age. As a parent, you are in the best position to assess how your child behaves in groups and conflict situations. The game can promote social skills such as discussing in a playful way. Also, consider whether your child can handle the tension and excitement of such a game. It is best to test it out yourself in advance.

The English language can be both challenging and motivating for children to learn. Support your child by playing the first rounds together.

The possible in-app purchases to equip your own avatar are not game-changing. Discuss such things with your child. You can learn more about this in our article on in-app purchases. If your child is older and already plays Among Us, Handysektor will give him tips on how to play.

Linked topics

Project partners
Supporter