I’d like to share my experience of playing Among Us. First of all, I usually hope I’m not assigned the role of the impostor. Whenever I am, I tend to get nervous and overthink every action. I hesitate to make a move, even when the opportunity is perfect, and I spend a lot of time trying to appear innocent. As a result, I often miss chances and end up acting suspicious, not because of what I do, but because I’m clearly overanalyzing everything. This behavior reflects how I communicate and make decisions in real-life group situations. I tend to struggle when I’m not confident about what I want to say. That explains why I behave awkwardly when I have to bluff in the game. Sometimes, I become emotional and try to raise my voice or act more assertively to sound persuasive, but it usually doesn’t work. My friends often tell me it’s very obvious when I’m the impostor. Considering the strategy, I prefer to observe first rather than take action right away. I usually follow others around and fake tasks to build trust. I try to blend in for as long as I can before doing anything risky. During meetings, I don’t usually speak unless I feel confident about my argument. Instead, I stay quiet and pay close attention to how others speak and react. This also reflects my decision-making style as I’m not usually aggressive and tend to take action only when I feel confident. I prefer to listen and gather more information before making a decision.
When I play as a crewmate, I behave very differently. I first focus on completing tasks quickly and efficiently. I also prefer to work alone and maintain distance from others to avoid being an easy target. While some players like to team up to prove their innocence, I usually don’t. I worry that pairing up makes me more vulnerable, so I try to stay independent while observing what’s happening around me. In discussions, I usually also take on the role of an observer. I listen carefully to everyone’s explanations, look for contradictions, and try to remember who was near the crewmate who got eliminated. Rather than trying to lead the conversation, I contribute by analyzing small details and helping the group figure things out. I think this reflects how I behave in group work outside of the game too, I prefer to listen, process, and I could be the leader similar like leading the discussion when everyone has no thought, but if there are people leading the team or the discussion, I would like to be the support, as I would supplement their discussion and decision making with the information I get. Overall, I enjoy Among Us most when playing as a crewmate. I find it satisfying when I’m able to identify the impostor using logic and then successfully convince others to vote them out. In those moments, I’m more confident and effective at using persuasive strategies, especially when I have solid evidence to back up my claims. Interestingly, I find it much easier to be persuasive when I’m telling the truth as a crewmate than when I’m bluffing as an impostor. This aligns with what the course described as the “fellowship” type of fun, where the game becomes a social framework for cooperation, teamwork, and shared goals. The most enjoyable part for me is not just the deduction itself, but the feeling of working together with others to solve a collective mystery.
Ethical Reflection:
The ethical question around bluffing games like Among Us asks whether lying in a game is morally wrong. From my perspective, in real-life situations, lying is usually considered unethical because it can hurt others or break trust. But in the context of Among Us, lying is built into the game. All players understand that deception is part of the gameplay, and everyone expects it to happen.
Because of this shared understanding, deception in the game feels very different from lying in real life. It’s not personal or harmful, as it’s just part of the strategy. From a consequentialist perspective, one of the main reasons lying is wrong is because it can cause harm. But in Among Us, the lie stays within the game context and doesn’t usually have any real negative impact on others. Since everyone agrees to the rules and knows that bluffing is allowed, it doesn’t feel morally wrong. Instead, it becomes part of what makes the game fun and challenging.
