Stable and Unstable Social Networks in Among Us
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/sep/29/among-us-the-ultimate-party-game-of-the-covid-era
As the article explains, Among Us is a video game that has exploded in popularity during the summer of 2020. This week, I will be participating in a team bonding night with my project team where we will play Among Us to meet the new members we recruited. The game consists of 10 individuals running around a spaceship as they fix the reactor, repair the ventilation system, and complete other menial tasks as at least 1 person slowly assassinates other members. Each round, players complete tasks while remaining suspicious of their friends, constantly wary of who the impostor may be. They also have the power to call a meeting together and vote one player to be removed from the space ship each round. The players attempt to identify the impostor during these times of communication by “comparing alibis and reporting on which other players seem to have been acting suspiciously: what was Tim doing so close to the scene of the crime, and why can’t Emma recall what task she was apparently working on? Accusations fly, temporary alliances form and whopping lies are told. Sessions can often descend into anarchic shouting matches, with players frantically justifying their movements around the ship.” After these turbulent arguments unfold, relationships are formed, teams are divided, and players develop complex social networks. Among Us is not only a fun party game to play with friends, it is also a perfect means of witnessing the fast evolution of social networks.
The article touched upon this aspect of the game briefly, and I wish to further analyze the social dynamic between players. In class, we learned about stable and unstable social networks. For example, three friends may all trust each other in a game of Among Us, so they will traverse the ship together and stay close to maintain safety. The impostor cannot come and kill any of these three players because he or she would be caught in the act by the other two members of the network and voted off. The three players can maintain this relative safety no matter where they go, so this is a stable and trusting network. However, unbalanced networks may also form where player A trusts two other players B and C but these two do not trust each other. In this case, both players B and C may attempt to gain A’s trust and form a mutual distrust of the other player, or they may go off on their own to avoid contact with the player they suspect is the impostor, which may or may not guarantee safety and may also cause player A to now suspect him or her of being the impostor. During the final moments of a game, where only 3 players are left and 1 of them is the impostor, they form a network of 3 individuals with a mutual distrust of each other. This is an unbalanced network as 2 players will inevitably gang up on the third. Which side of the argument the impostor may be on is always unknown. As such, it is always an entertaining yet frantic display of alibis in favor of one’s innocence.
The article details how quickly the paranoia between members can develop. I argue that it is this paranoia that allows strong social networks to form and dissolve between players in as little as an instant. After learning about stable and unstable social networks, it becomes clear that the dominant strategy to best play any game of Among Us is to enter a stable and balanced social network as soon as possible. As a node in this network, your mere existence will offer protection to others and others will be able to protect you as well. As long as the impostor is not among the social network, you will be able to last within this group until victory.