How Among Us Succeeds as a Social Deduction Game

And why it’s more effective than games like 1986’s Mafia

Among Us is one of the most played games in the world right now. A few months ago, nobody would have guessed it would be so successful. This online take on the “social deduction game” was originally released in June 2018 by developer InnerSloth. Like Mafia, Werewolf, or other variations, the goal of the game is about figuring out which one of your friends is actually the killer. The game has since become so popular that developers have canceled their plans for a sequel and decided to update the game instead.

The developers attribute this success to Twitch livestreams, which has continued to this day along with a ton of YouTube content.

In a pandemic where many people have been isolated or quarantined for an abnormal amount of time, a social game that you can safely play with up to nine of your friends is an incredibly valuable and fun experience. For streamers, the game has served an important role in connecting streamers to communities.

Before this game shot up the charts, streamers would mainly interact in groups of four…