Among Us, the multiplayer strategy game where “crewmates” uncover secret troublemaking “imposters” is the latest quarantine obsession keeping students in contact and politicians in touch with Gen-Z.

The game was released in June of 2018, but didn’t skyrocket into popularity until this September. Due to social media apps like Tiktok and Twitter, the game spread rapidly.

“All my friends started playing it and they wouldn’t shut up about it. It was like every two minutes, ‘Hey, you want to play Among Us?” said Charles Logan ’22. “There was a long, long period where it was the only thing everyone I knew would talk about.”

The game’s collaborative aspect and easy accessibility have reproduced the group dynamics social distancing forbids. It’s allowed many friend groups to keep in touch between classtime and after school when they’d normally get together.

“I think a lot of games that have a multiplayer aspect have kind of surged during COVID, because it is the only way you can safely interact with people,” said Logan. “It’s not the same as hanging out, but at least you’re doing something together.”

This doesn’t just apply to smaller friend groups, but whole clubs and teams, too. Bridget Backer ’22 a member of the Pointe Singers, has experienced that first hand.

“At the beginning of the year we couldn’t really see each other except through choir or rehearsals. But, while we were outside of choir rehearsals, we could get together through Discord and Among Us to play together and bond together, even though we’re not truly in person,” said Bridget Backer, on how the game has impacted South’s choir dynamics.

But, lots of games can be played together, right? What makes Among Us special? It’s easy accessibility and affordability. The game is free, available on both mobile and PC, and has several language options.

“Fortnite exploded in popularity, but you had to have an Xbox for it, and not everyone had people to play with. But with Among Us, you can play on your handheld device,” said Backer.

The game has grown in popularity from the streaming site Twitch, where clips were often reposted on other platforms like Tiktok. Some of the most popular clips come from creators like Pokimane,’ ‘Toast,’ ‘Corpse,’ and Hasan Piker. On Tuesday, the cast of streamers invited Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar to play a few rounds of Among Us. The stream amassed over 400 thousand viewers and ranks third in the most popular Twitch streams of all time. The stream was hosted as an opportunity to encourage voting to the younger generation.

“It was so fun to watch. I was very happy about her turnout to the game. I think that she brought in a very positive influence to vote, [influencing] a younger audience,’’ said Backer, “I don’t think other politicians can pull it off as well as AOC, because it’ll get tiring at that point.”

However, the stream also caught some criticism, as many would prefer to keep their politicians out of entertainment. Included is Logan, who would prefer to see politicians gain popularity from their stances on and solutions to geopolitical issues.

“It’s a smart political move because you get all these kids who are like, ‘Wow, she’s so in touch, she’s playing video games’,” said Logan, “I’m not saying politicians can’t have their own freetime and whatnot, but it was kind of like, is this really what we’ve come to?”