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Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few months, you’ve likely heard of the phenomenon called, Among Us from your kids or your friends. The popular online game — in the style of the popular party game Mafia (but in space!) — made headlines recently when House Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar teamed up with live video streaming service Twitch to play with top streamers in order to encourage Americans to vote in the November election.
But what is Among Us and is it safe for kids to play? Here’s our parents’ guide to Among Us, that gives you everything you need to know about the game.
Among Us: What it is and how to play
Among Us is an online multiplayer (4 to 10 players) deduction game. It surged in popularity thanks to the perfect confluence of the lockdown, and popular YouTubers and streamers featuring the game on their channels.
Among Us: Quick overview
Set in space, 1 to 3 players are Impostors and everyone else is a Crewmate. Crewmates have to complete tasks like vital maintenance work around one of three maps via minigames. They also need to identify the Impostors and remove them. Impostors have fake tasks they can’t actually complete so that they can blend in, but their real goal is to sabotage the map’s systems, identify and cooperate with other Impostors, and kill Crewmates.
If you die, you can still play as a ghost and help your teammates from beyond. During group meetings triggered by a reported death or an emergency vote, everyone discusses and votes on who is an Impostor. The player with the most votes is voted out.
How do you win Among Us?
The game ends if the conditions are fulfilled for either the Crewmates or the Impostors winning. Crewmates win when all Impostors are eliminated or all tasks are finished. Impostors win when the number of Impostors equals Crewmates or if a critical sabotage isn’t fixed by a certain time.
Where to play Among Us
You can download Among Us and play for free via app (Google or Apple) or you play on the online gaming platform Steam for the price of $4.99. You can play online or, if you all share the same wifi network, locally.
How to interact with other players on Among Us
Players can communicate via text chat within the actual game itself — but only during meetings if they are alive. Ghosts can chat with other ghosts during any time. Many players will use third party programs like Discord for voice or text chatting during gameplay and that is obviously not within the purview of Among Us.
Is Among Us safe for kids to play?
Like all online games and internet trends, safety and appropriateness for your children is a logical concern. There is violence (though unrealistic and cartoonish) and the premise of the game is lying and killing. In addition, there is the possibility of playing online with strangers, an in-game chat, and potential third party communication outside of the game.
"I like when my kids are the 'host; and start the game because they have the ability to kick anyone being inappropriate," Darcy Zalewski told Mom.com
Among Us age rating
The Among Us age rating varies according to the source. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) recommends players be at least 10 years old, the Apple App Store suggests 9+, and the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) rating board recently changed their rating to 7+ from 16+ after an audit revealed the game was not as violent as they thought it would be.
How to ban or kick Among Us players
You can use the in-game features to keep it safe and fun for your kids. Not only can you censor chats in the game’s “lobby” area, you can also require kids to use private invite codes to play only with friends they know in real life. You can report, ban, or kick out players for cheating, hacking, or unacceptable behavior from your game lobby.
Data collection
As expected, Among Us does collect data for advertising but you can disable it for a $2 fee.
Internet safety
As with all online games, please discuss internet safety with your children. Teacher Christine Hanna recommends going over internet safety rules like Think S.M.A.R.T Online with your kids.
“My guys have been playing online games for awhile now so we don’t really have any new rules for Among Us,” father of four Ryan McGredy shared with Mom.com. “If any of the rules are broken they lose access to electronics until they are earned back with manual labor.”
Check in on your kids
Check in with your kids often to make sure they're playing safely, and who they're playing with. And also keep track of just how much time they're spending playing Among Us, and any other online games — gaming addiction is a serious problem. "It is a real, debilitating and chronic problem for many parents," certified parent coach Meghan Leahy told the Washington Post.
Gina Lincicum’s teenagers likened the phenomenon to "playing Minecraft back in the day. They suggest ONLY letting your kids play with people you already know, not strangers," she told Mom.com. "And like we did then, even if they wear headphones, they are sitting in a main area (like the living room) so parents can hear what they're saying on their end."
"Doors always stay open," McGredy told us, "and my wife and I make a point of walking in regularly to check on the kids."
Kids don’t play? Other ways for kids to participate in Among Us
Not all kids want (or are allowed) to play Among Us, but that doesn’t mean they have to be vented into the cold space of being uncool. There are so many videos about Among Us online where they can watch other people play, watch or read fan made stories and plotlines, or even create fan art like drawings, comics, or costumes for Halloween or cosplaying.
My own children, who I feel are too young to be wise while playing the game online, love watching Among Us YouTube videos. The simple graphics of the game allowed for their enthusiastic fan art (like the one above) and the four of them now act out Among Us dramas. Though it’s not quite the same as playing the actual game, they can still understand the Among Us memes and jokes flying around the internet — and for now, that is enough.
