Among Us Mechanics and Structures
The game I have chosen was Among Us, created by game designer Marcus Bromander. The target audience of Among Us is usually kids/young adults from 12+, and players play in already established groups or can find people. This is an online game that can be played by downloading the app on the Google or Apple Store.
Me and my friends played the game from Stern and all the way to Storey. Among Us’ structure and mechanics facilitates conversation and bonding amongst players, making the game fun through challenge and fellowship. The structure of crewmate versus imposter forces everyone playing to give a stance to defend themselves and I think this is where me and my friends’ different communication styles were highlighted. This was a social deduction game where the design inspired fellowship as a social framework (me and my friends got close by the thinking that they are working together) and challenge because there were many obstacles that made the game complex yet enjoyable. The game’s mechanics (the moving around widget, reporting bodies, and calling emergency meetings) and structure (shadows and many conspicuous halls to hide in) push for collaboration and deduction to the point where everyone is included (everyone must vote and everyone must complete tasks as a crewmate or kill everyone else as an imposter).
Since the brain loves patterns as we learned from the reading What Games are and aren’t, Among Us keeps just the right balance between new elements and old elements. After playing Among Us critically, I realized the designated, randomized roles the game designer included pushes players to work with one another even if you are the imposter and that added element adds fun conversations that me and my friends talked about even when we stopped playing. Similarly, the voting system the game designer included helps moderate and facilitate conversation among the players, and I think this was one of the best parts of the game as a game player because of the conversations that happened as a result of this particular game design.
If I were to design the game differently, I would add more settings, or level up abilities where the more games a group has played, the more tricks that are available for the imposter e.g., adding more vents or adding shade to make it harder for crewmates to navigate the space. I would also allow the option for players to submit if they want to be the imposter during different rounds so if someone really wants to be the imposter they can be.
Ethics Question
Lying as a part of a game does not constitute a wrong action, because of the context we are put in. I think a lot of ethics has to do
with the motivation behind someone’s actions. When I was critically playing Among Us and was delegated the task of being the imposter, my friend in my group accused me of being the imposter, saying “Muss (my nickname) has been really quiet.” When everyone looked at me, I was kind of stunned because I am really bad at lying on the spot. I looked up a so I switched the narrative around and was able to avert the accusation back on to the accuser. I think this deception is acceptable because everyone involved suspends usual moral rules for the sake of the game, knowing that our main objective is to win. If I don’t lie to deceive the people playing, then the game would be over. One great example of deception in real life is when you are trying to save yourself or your friends from a dangerous situation. In high-intensity situations in the real world, lying is praised and usually pushed for if it is for self preservation. In Bluffing Games, like Among Us, if people never lied, then the game would automatically lose its appeal. These games permit us to lie to our friends because we know that the whole point of Among Us is to try to deduce the imposter and escape into this Among Us world of stress, mystery, and deception. Lying is within the boundaries of these games, and usually not meant to harm or deceive anyone playing outside of the context of the game. Since the game is considered to be its own space of escape for people, usual moral laws don’t apply since it’s a part of the experience and adds to the user’s overall playing experience.
