Reaching across the divide and how Among Us lets anyone be a gamer
Among Us has managed to unite people in a way that few games in history ever have.
Part of the reason Among Us has found worldwide success is that it has helped even those who never considered themselves gamers to pick up the game and hunt imposters with the best of them.
It’s hard to remember that gaming as a hobby wasn’t a part of the mainstream until very recently. Even just a decade ago, gaming was still a niche part of internet culture. But games like Among Us helped bring games into the mainstream.
Among Us reaches further than ever expected
It’s not a revolutionary idea to suggest that reaching a wider audience is a good way to expand a game’s player base, but very few games ever truly manage to appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike. The reason this is so hard to do is that games that are simple enough to be easy for non-gamers to use as an entry into the hobby tend not to have enough depth to retain gamers who have been playing since their early years.
However, Among Us is unique because it manages to do just that. This is because the actual “game” part of Among Us is very simple, and almost anyone can learn how to control their crewmate, do tasks, use vents, and kill an imposter in under 15 minutes.
To retain its audience, Among Us supplies its depth through its social interactions.
This is a great way to involve real-life skills in the game as almost everyone has some degree of social skills. This allows non-gamers to stand on equal footing with those who have been gaming for years. This is something that is usually very difficult to do.
Game design lessons from Among Us
Admittedly, this is more useful for anyone looking to make multiplayer games of their own. While not every game should be targeted at an audience as wide as the one Among Us has managed to capture, if a designer feels their game has the ability to bring in new gamers then they should consider using a similar game design.
For now, Among Us has managed to do something that only a few games have ever managed to do. It has allowed gamers who have been playing for decades to play with gamers who are just starting without giving either a significant advantage.