The Among Us Twitter account hilariously reacted to Jeopardy! featuring a clue referencing the game this week. First released in 2018, Among Us rose to prominence in 2020 after streamers popularized the game. The game's formula is so well-liked it's even inspired copycat modes from other popular games like Fortnite. Its popularity grew throughout quarantine, and in 2022 the game remains popular, averaging over 400 million players each month.
Among Us is a social deduction game inspired by the party game Mafia, where a group a players attempts to determine who among them is an imposter. Initially only containing a space ship set, the game has added more environments for gameplay over the years. Players can have two roles - those who aren't imposters attempt to complete various technical tasks in the environment while avoiding Impostors, whose goal is to kill all other players while not being discovered. After each death a meeting is held, in which players can discuss who they believe to be an Impostor. The phrase "sus" became popular within these Among Us meetings - short for "suspicious" - to discuss players that acted dubiously, and over time it became a meme as well.
The Among Us Twitter account shared their reaction to appearing in a Jeopardy! clue this week, trading jokes with fans. In a category about palindromes, Among Us was referenced in a clue where the correct response was "sus." User IversonKjerstin was the first to point it out to the Among Us team, joking that they "can't escape this meme." Randomplayer709 pointed out that the clue reminded them of another classic video game Jeopardy! moment, in which a Final Jeopardy clue referencing Sonic the Hedgehog got the incorrect response of "What is Dankey Kang?" The Among Us team quipped back that they wished a clue referencing them had gotten the incorrect response "What is Fall Girls?"
Although a very silly clue, its inclusion in Jeopardy! - and the contestant getting it correct - is a testament to the enduring popularity of Among Us. The fact that the clue was not one where the game itself was the correct response, and rather a meme related to the game further cements that there is general public knowledge about not only the game itself, but the culture surrounding it. Although Jeopardy! often features more esoteric clues, being part of a clue on the iconic game show also represents being a part of the cultural zeitgeist. Among Us has been out for almost 4 years - although it has only been massively popular in the past 2 - which is often long enough for fads to fade in popularity, but so far that has not been true for the game.
Among Us is a game that has crossed over into many different mediums in popular culture since player numbers began to rise. Jokes in television shows about the game, mountains of fan art, and even Among Us manga have been a products of the game's influence. After being featured on Jeopardy!, which is one of the longest-running game shows of all time, Among Us has further solidified that it's one of the most memorable trends in gaming culture of the last several years.
Source: Among Us/Twitter, IversonKjerstin/Twitter, Randomplayer709/Twitter