For my first Critical Play, I will be breaking down the mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics of one of my favorite all-ages bluffing game: Among Us by Marcus Bromander. While this analysis is based on the mobile version, the game remains consistent across all its different platforms versions.
First, let me discuss some of the game mechanics that characterize this game. The mechanics of Among Us are simple, but successful at pulling players into their respective roles: innocent or impostor. Each role comes with a completely different goal. Crewmates are focused on survival and teamwork, they complete tasks and try to figure out who the impostor is before it’s too late. Impostors, on the other hand, are meant to lie, cause confusion, and take out players without getting caught. Because of these goals, the way players think about what’s “right” inside the game changes. For a crewmate, telling the truth and catching the impostor feels like the obvious good. But for an impostor, lying isn’t just allowed, it also becomes the smartest, most necessary thing to do. You’re not trying to be honest, you’re trying to win. In this space, being sneaky and misleading your friends becomes part of the strategy.
With respect to our ethics question, does lying as a part of a game constitute a wrong action? If not, what is so special about games that they permit us to lie to our friends? We recognize that games like Among Us are immersive experiences and, thus, an excusable reason to lie to our friends. Given that no harm is caused, and the manipulation of words is solely to accomplish in-game goals of winning, lying and gaslighting aren’t wrong actions in this context – just another tool. Let us explore the gameplay more in-depth and elaborate on how these mechanics reinforce Among Us deception and roleplay dynamics.
Game Design and Customization
One of the most clever aspects of Among Us is how its design supports flexibility. The host can adjust game settings like the number of impostors, task length, discussion time, kill cooldown, and even player speed.These small changes have a big impact on how the game feels. 
A fast-paced game with short discussions leans more toward chaos and quick judgments, while longer discussions and limited vision creates space for more careful thinking and strategy. The ability to customize the rules allows players to shape and reshape the in-game atmosphere which directly impacts how communication and, ergo, lying plays out.
After repeated games with random players, I quickly noticed how much the settings can shift the feel of the game. One lobby I joined had turned the player speed way up, lowered discussion time, and shortened the kill cooldown. “Damn, this is too fast,” I thought the moment I saw my character crash into every wall due to the speed sensitivity. It felt chaotic but in a fun way. Even though I got to play both roles under these conditions, it was clear the dynamic had changed. There was no time to talk things through. As a crewmate, it became more about brute forcing tasks and staying alive. As an impostor, I did not have to lie. It was all about moving fast, striking fast, and avoiding being seen.
(correct guess)
This fast paced setup made it harder to build trust or notice any sus behavior since no one had the time to track players. In that sense, lying turned into more of a gamble than a “calculated” move. Given this, we can see that even without the ability to lie, the goal can still be achieved. While Among Us is a bluffing game, lying is not necessarily a wrong action, again, it is just one of many tools available to impostors, and sometimes, not even the most important one.
(aka me)
