Among Us, a similar comparison to the movie The Thing, where either you have blatant lies spewed about one another, chaotic rounds of going back and forth in the search of clues, or simply staying quiet. Unfortunately, sometimes being too honest can bring unnecessary attention. When I am close to crewmates as a means of protecting myself from the imposter, individuals assume that I am trying to kill that crewmate. If only our brain wavelengths could match, and telepathy existed, because this behavior of staying close-by simply gets me casted out of the ship. Flashbacks– Hey, I did the same thing for that card game where we had villagers, a medic, an investigator, and the killers. I was a villager and spoke to the person to my right, Fayez, and asked if he was a villager. No answer. Folks thought my behavior was suspicious, and voted me out. Perhaps this behavior translates to not being a great liar with the situational awareness of how others perceive my action. Returning back to Among Us, after playing for a few rounds, the strategy that seemed to work best was . . . staying quiet. Why? There’s likely a pyschological answer to this, but I will say, sometimes the best liars are those that don’t have much to say. Of course, there are great liars who turn an entire conversation in their favor. When I am an imposter, I now tend to be quiet and slowly take out everyone, one-by-one. When I am a crewmate, I also tend to be quiet, unelss if I do find another perceived innocent life, where I then take the risk and sometimes ask them if they want to be my travel buddy. Of course, I could be easily killed after a few seconds, but it’s a risk. And other times, I stay quiet and journey along. . . alone. All this to say, that in being an imposter it’s best for me to say few words and act more. Within a crewmate, if it’s with strangers then the aforementioned layout works. With friends who I am close with, it’s easier to communicate through our chaotic discord calls, and form alliances. And hey, when you have friends who are twins, the rules don’t say you can’t call their twin and ask if their sister (in this case) is the imposter.
In regards to ethics: first, if lying is part of a game, then there is no wrong in lying. It’s a permitted rule, and the people who play the game internally acknowledge that rule. Secondly, in judging games (I typically avoid these, because I am gullible, and I do get hurt even if it’s a joke. The only exception is if I am playing with my closest friends). Players who know they get hurt by these types of games should avoid them. Only you know yourself best, thus in my view, it’s not the designer’s fault for the outcome. Again, I play these rarely and only with my closest friends because I know their values and their intentions are not wanting to hurt me. The world is a scary place, and there are folks who enjoy judging others, and perhaps have different intentions with this game. Lastly, on the topic of getting to know you games, the answer depends on the player and context. For example, I can only speak for myself, but I typically do not play these games with strangers. I do not provide deep answers of my life the first time I meet someone, but that’s just me. In communities that are tighter, I can understand how this game further cements the relationship dynamics between members, and I can see how this would break the ice for strangers, especially in academics or outdoor settings (introverts might find it difficult to play). On the other hand, professional settings might not be the best place to play such game (perhaps a startup would be better?).
