Among Us and the Basics of Good Video Game Design

Get tips from a video game developer on how to create a successful project like Among Us

If you’ve been on the Internet over the last few weeks, you may have heard about Among Us, a video game launched in 2018 that went viral in 2020 for being simple and extremely entertaining. Its logic is straightforward: you and your friends must complete small tasks onboard a spaceship while looking for an impostor: a killer trying to decimate the rest of the crew.

Through this plot, the game becomes a social and narrative experience aiming to unmask the story’s villain, who is also one of the players. Its popularity turned Among Us into the most streamed game on Twitch in September 2020 and is still breaking audience and sales records.

The success of Among Us

To understand the game’s massive success and get some insight on the topic of video game development and design, we spoke with Ariel Velloso, developer and digital producer from Brazil. He explains the main reasons why this game is captivating thousands of players.

How do you explain the success of this game?

Among Us is a game with simple playability, relatively easy to understand. Therefore, it does not take long to get to the fun part, whether you are a seasoned or casual player. Furthermore, a large part of the game involves offline skills and know-how, such as speaking with other people, lying, or investigating. These features make the game attractive even to those who are not assiduous gamers and have had prior experience playing card or strategy games.

Another important aspect is that it resembles children's and traditional games (such as board games), popular for their ‘chaotic fun’ and excellent social tools to bring together a group to have fun together. Its caricature-like aesthetic makes it universally friendly, reminding us of cartoons like Tom & Jerry, Crazy Bird, and the Minions (just like the Fall Guy video game).

Due to the recent cultural and social changes, we have found ourselves with more free time and wanting to experience group activities with friends and family, even if just online. Finally, the price and the ability to play it on different platforms simultaneously, like smartphones and computers. It is a democratic game: economic or even free on some platforms, where anyone can play with one another, no matter where they are.

What elements of Among Us suggest good video game design?

There are some elements we consider good practice in terms of good design as a whole, not merely for a video game:

- It has a straightforward and even exciting interface, drawing attention and showing what you have to do clearly.

- The character design reinforces the idea that ‘we are all equal, and equally suspicious-looking.’

- Everything is created to be over the top and fun, even if sometimes it can be difficult. It resembles the comical stories of South Park, and for this reason, it helps to be a bit unrefined.

- It offers a wide range of playability, as it depends on the different personalities of those involved.

- It cuts to the chase, and you access the fun part of the game from the start, without the need for a long-winded tutorial.

What can game designers, or aspiring ones, learn from this game?

One of the lessons is that using simple design is not a demerit and can even work in your favor if the game is fun and in line with the design. So, do not lose heart if you cannot rely on a fantastic artist to develop an intricate design. The most important thing is that it is consistent.

Another is knowing that the social aspects of the game attract different types of players. Some people play to win, others to have a laugh, etc. Among Us reaches both kinds of audience and has, therefore, a broader scope. Crossover and ease of access are also very positive factors to make a game go viral.

At present, content goes viral when it is highly attractive to a specific group of people who start to spread the content like there's no tomorrow. This is an important marketing step for your product or game. Although it is almost impossible to guarantee that your product will go viral, you can think of other strategies to achieve this.

Finally, it is always better to make the game obvious and straightforward than complex and full of tutorials if you want to achieve a general consensus. There are market niches for mysterious and complicated games, but this makes it hard to reach thousands of people. Remember these pointers when developing your game.

What other tips would you give to anyone who is starting to develop a game?

Know your audience and offer them what they expect from the word go. It will help you keep a clear idea of what you are creating and ensure that its different aspects unify in the final product.

I also encourage you to be inclusive and invest in accessibility features and choose diverse characters and narratives. Make sure people of all ethnicities, gender, and ability are represented. We must not overlook this medium’s cultural impact: we need to use gaming more and more to create social inclusion. Furthermore, try to come up with something new so that your creation is exciting and unique.

Part of this process involves looking for good references, mixing different content in the same product or improving something already good (for example, creating a new spin or perfecting the formula), or even offering original content for a hungry niche market.

Let’s have a look at the Stardew Valley example: it found an opportunity for success due to the nostalgic appeal it had for Harvest Moon fans, who had been waiting for a new game of this kind for years. Look out for those types of overlooked opportunities in the market.

English version by @acesarato.

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