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Parents everywhere are hearing about Among Us, either from their own children or from their own gaming interests. If you’re a parent and wondering whether or not Among Us is okay for your child to play, here’s a quick breakdown of the game as a whole and what you should consider.
Among Us Age Ratings
There is actually quite a bit of disagreement about what age rating Among Us should have. The ESRB reportedly recommends players be at least 10 years of age or older, while the Apple App Store says that 9+ is okay. The PEGI rating board initially gave the game a 16+ rating, but later shifted it to 7+ after a ratings audit revealed that the game was not nearly as gruesome or violent as initially believed.
But a game like Among Us can’t simply be measured by its content alone. Among Us requires that players be able to communicate clearly and concisely with one another, and can even feature some intense and uncomfortable situations. Additionally, as with any game where social interaction is a core part of the game, some players may be hostile or outright rude to younger players.
But there are ways around these issues.
The role of social interactions in Among Us
Among Us assigns a random player or players the role of imposter and tasks them with killing the other players in the game. When a meeting is called or a body is reported players have a window of time to communicate, ask questions, present evidence, and vote to eliminate one member from the group.
This process can involve deducing who the killers are, and occasionally pressuring them for an alibi. Naturally, this will involve both lying and detecting liars as important skills to have when playing Among Us.
While some parents may be concerned about a game which encourages their child to lie under certain conditions, it should be fine for children old enough to understand the difference between lying in a game and lying to their parents, not to mention the consequences for each.
Additionally, the majority of the time players will play as part of the crew and have to learn how to work together, learn who to trust, and learn how to identify liars, all skills that are important to have.
The problems with social interaction in Among Us
While we would all like for this game to be played with minimal rudeness, Among Us players can frequently use rudeness as an amplifier for their voices. This can be detrimental to younger players who are either more affected by these angry remarks, or more likely to adopt this method themselves.
And so, while this has nothing to do with the content of Among Us as a game, it is a situation which any parent should be aware of when considering whether their child is old enough to play.
How can your child play Among Us in a safer environment?
Among Us is frequently played in conjunction with a voice chatting app like Discord, commonly with friends. When played with friends, players tend to be more polite and more interested in maintaining a healthy playgroup than merely winning.
Additionally, when played with a consistent playgroup, Among Us allows players to learn how to identify their friends’ patterns and tells, something which allows the game to develop further than when playing with random players online.
Among Us is also free for phones and cheap on PC, so if you’re interested you could always play with your child. Games typically last between 10 and 15 minutes, allowing players to squeeze in a quick session whenever they have time.
