Among Us

Due to the rise in popularity of Among Us, the members of the Duckpond began to play the game as well. By playing this game many members who were once inactive became much more involved. TrueMasterB and Arnold Schwarzenegger are two of the best examples. Playing the game has created a sort of renaissance in activity in the server as many members are returning. The members play the game often, multiple times a week. On October 24th, a new Among Us map, "The Fungle", released and caused the revival of nightly Among Us on the server.

## The Game

Among Us is an online multiplayer social deduction game, developed and published by American game studio InnerSloth and released on June 15, 2018. The game takes place in a space-themed setting where players each take on one of two roles, most being Crewmates, and a predetermined number being Impostors.

The goal for the Crewmates is to identify the Impostors, eliminate them, and complete tasks around the map; the Impostors' goal is to covertly sabotage and kill the Crewmates before they complete all their tasks. Through a plurality vote, players believed to be Impostors may be removed from the game. If all Impostors are eliminated or all tasks are completed, the Crewmates win; if there are an equal number of Impostors and Crewmates, or if a critical sabotage goes unresolved, the Impostors win.

While initially released in 2018 to little mainstream attention, it received an influx of popularity in 2020 due to many well-known Twitch streamers and YouTubers playing it. In response to the game's popularity, a sequel, *Among Us 2*, was announced in August 2020. However, a month later in September, the planned sequel was cancelled, with the team instead shifting focus to improving the original game.

The Crewmates win by completing all tasks before being killed or by finding and eliminating all the Impostors. For the Impostors to win, they must either have a sabotage countdown run out or kill enough Crewmates that the number of Impostors is equal to the number of Crewmates. Ghosts help their living teammates by completing tasks (as a Crewmate) or performing sabotages (as an Impostor). When an Impostor performs a sabotage, either there is an immediate consequence (such as all the lights being turned off or doors being closed) or a countdown begins. In the latter case, if the Crewmates do not resolve the sabotage before it finishes, they all die. Sabotages can be resolved by players (excluding ghosts) in varying ways depending on which sabotage is performed.

Any living player who finds a dead body can report it, which halts all other gameplay and calls a group meeting. In the meeting, players discuss who they believe an Impostor based on the evidence surrounding the killing. To help determine the identity of Impostors, there are various tracking systems in each map: a security camera system in the Skeld, a doorlog in Mira HQ, and a vitals indicator in Polus. If a plurality vote is reached, the chosen person is ejected from the map and dies. Living players may also call an "emergency meeting" by pressing a button in the map at any time, except when a sabotage is in progress. Players communicate in a text chat, but can only speak during meetings, and only if they are alive, although ghosts can speak with one another at any time. While the game does not have a built-in voice chat system, it is common for players to use external programs such as Discord while playing. In each game's lobby, various options can be adjusted to customize aspects of gameplay, such as vision range and emergency meetings. There are also many cosmetic options, including spacesuit colors, skins, hats, and pets, some of which are paid downloadable content.