“Among Us” has become the game of 2020.

The game is simple. A number of crewmates on a spaceship must complete a series of tasks such as cleaning or rewiring the ship. The impostors’ goal is to discreetly kill all of the crewmates.

Anytime a dead body is found, players discuss and vote on who they think was the murderer. Crewmates can win by either completing all their tasks or voting out the impostors. Impostors can win by either killing or voting out all of the crewmates.

“Among Us” quickly became one of the most popular games of the year. Since Sept. 1, the game has been downloaded 158 million times on the App Store and 47 million times on Steam.  References to the game, such as calling friends “sus,” have emerged in everyday language among teens. 

To many, the appeal comes from the simplicity and low cost of the game. 

“The game is so popular because it’s free and you can play with all your friends,” junior Nate Hunt said. “It’s easy to pick up on but hard to master. Also, the number of big names that have streamed the game helped boost the popularity of the game.”

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made headlines for streaming the game on Twitch in addition to YouTubers such as Mr. Beast and Pewdiepie. 

The highlight of many games is impostors sowing distrust among crewmates and getting them to vote out their own. 

“Lying to my friends as an impostor is the most fun part of the game,” senior Allison Naylor said.

To Hunt, however, being a crewmate is just as fun.

“I like being a crewmate and gathering evidence around me to piece together who the impostor is,” Hunt said. “I like getting in their heads.” 

The game could not have gotten popular at a better time, according to players.  Many people have gotten tired of playing the same types of games since quarantine began.

“Many people have gotten bored with the games they have been playing for like eight months,” Naylor said. “When ‘Among Us’ came out, it was something different. It’s a fun twist on murder mystery games that people already know and love.”