2020 was an intriguing year for the gaming industry as it saw playtime soar through the roof due to everyone being stuck inside for months. People needed ways to kill time and avoid going insane, so they turned to video games. It was also an interesting year from the perspective of the different games released and played. Towards the start of the year, Call of Duty Warzone was a massive hit, with hundreds of thousands of viewers tuning in every day to watch streams on Twitch. Then, summer brought Fall Guys to everyone’s attention, and it absolutely blew up. For a month or so, everyone thought this would be the game of the year. However, the developers were a bit slow to make any new changes, meaning the Fall Guys hype died down exceptionally quickly.
Part of the reason for the declining hype came in the form of another game: Among Us. Funnily enough, this game was introduced in 2018 and received hardly any mainstream attention. But, it got picked up by streamers in 2020, quickly rising to the top of the charts. It’s still very much popular today, and it ended up winning multiple awards last year – including the title of multiplayer game of the year!
So, how did a relatively basic game from 2018 rise to the top in 2020? We’ve taken a look at Among Us to see just what made it so popular…
A great game to watch
Ultimately, streamers and YouTubers dictate which games are popular and hyped. The simple fact is that, if lots of streamers play a game, more people will know about it. An indie game like Among Us is unknown to most people until it’s seen on Twitch or YouTube. Of course, the game itself has to be decent for people to keep streaming it. As it happens, Among Us does crazy numbers on stream because it’s such a fun game to watch. There’s a detective element to it that keeps viewers glued to their screens, along with the hilarity of people arguing amongst one another.
It’s also an easy game to watch as viewers don’t have to focus too much on different things, and it encourages debates within chats. As such, streamers notice that they have high viewing figures and excellent retention, which makes them play the game even more. This continues to spread awareness of the game, people love what they see, and it gets downloaded many more times, further increasing the hype!
The perfect blend of casual and competitive gaming
Competitive gaming is a massive thing these days. You see lots of events created – like Warzone Wednesdays and Twitch Rivals – encouraging competitive gaming. Prizes are on offer, and there are so many pro gamers these days. We live in a world where gaming energy drinks and other gaming supplements are a thing, almost making it a sport! So, some of the best games of the last few years have had a competitive element to them.
Among Us provides this as it’s a game that can be taken very seriously. There are lots of plays you can learn and develop as crewmates or imposters – such as learning the right time to vote, using the admin table to track movements, and understanding the tactical way of killing people. As such, you’ve seen lots of competitive Among Us tournaments that take the game to a new intensity, satisfying many people’s urge for professional gaming.
At the same time, the game itself can be played casually with friends. If you just want to have a laugh and enjoy some banter, it’s the perfect game for that. The blend of competitiveness and casualness makes it an extremely unique game that appeals to all sorts of fans and gamers.
Easily accessible
The best games are ones that everyone can play, and Among Us is certainly that. It can be played online without any issues, and you don’t need a supercomputer or a PS5. It’s actually downloadable on mobile devices as well, winning the best mobile game of the year award in 2020. Basically, anyone that wants to play the game can play it without spending a fortune.
This accessibility appeals to fans, which is why so many people have downloaded and played this game. They learn about it from streamers, but it’s not one of those games that some people can only watch. For example, some people don’t have a games console or a gaming PC, meaning they can’t play the big titles and settle for watching their favorite content created. With Among Us, you can do that and also get involved!
Bringing people together
Among Us is perhaps the first game to start bringing lots of different people together. The fact that it involves communication means you chat with other people while you play. This can lead to friendships forming, which makes the game even more appealing. However, from the streamer perspective, Among Us has brought some of the wildest collaborations ever. Popular streamers are interacting with smaller ones, meaning different communities blend with one another.
Ultimately, this has given the game its longevity and popularity as viewers love the collaborations and always want to see who’s playing in which lobbies. This keeps the game alive, encouraging more people to check it out and play for themselves.
It allows mods
As an indie game, Among Us is pretty relaxed about letting people create mods for it. In fact, the Twitter page sometimes tweets out their favorite mods, encouraging people to try them out. The addition of mods makes any game more interesting as you can tweak the way it’s played. This has ensured that the Among Us hype is still going strong a month into 2021!
All in all, it’s not hard to see how this small game made a big impact in 2020. It simply holds all of the keys to a successful game, and there’s more to come. New maps should be released, along with many other features. So, could Among Us continue to dominate in 2021? We’ll have to wait and see…