If you have school-aged children who enjoy gaming apps, you may have heard the buzz: Among Us has gotten popular fast. But trendiness doesn’t always equate to safety. Is this space-themed whodunit suitable for your son or daughter to play with friends?
Quick Overview
Among Us has been the surprise gaming hit of 2020. A space-themed take on the popular game Mafia, it has taken off, especially with kids. While the game is a welcome distraction that helps kids spend time with friends remotely, if used improperly, it could leave your child and network vulnerable to threats. Learn what these threats are and how you can keep your children safe from them.
Need help ensuring that your kids stay protected while playing Among Us? We’ve got you covered, with VPN recommendations to help keep your spaceship impostor-free.
Best VPNs for Playing Among Us
Best FlashRouters to Play Among Us?
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What is Among Us?
Among Us is an online multiplayer game that is set on a failing spaceship. The game is often compared to ‘Murder in the Dark,’ ‘Werewolf,’ or ‘Mafia’ – old-school party games you may have played as children. Players are split up into two groups, crewmates, and impostors.
Crewmates have tasks they need to complete, while impostors aim to blend in and eliminate crewmates. A game ends when either all of the impostors are caught and “thrown out of the airlock”, all tasks are completed, or the impostors eliminate everyone on the ship.
How Popular is Among Us?
While the game was released in 2018, it jumped to the top of the charts in mid-2020. According to data compiled by SuperData, a part of Nielsen, the game was played by 500 million people in November 2020 ALONE. While YouTube released data in October, showing that Among Us content reached 4 billion views in September 2020.
As Among Us has grown in popularity so have the safety concerns for parents. Online games pose special risks for children. And given the rapid pace at which these games are evolving, parents need to stay vigilant about how best to keep their children safe while playing them.
What Devices is Among Us Available to Play On?
Among Us is free to play on iOS and Android devices (you can download it on the App Store or Google Play Store). Or, it costs $5 to play on a PC (you can download it on Steam or itch.io). Unfortunately, Mac users can’t play it natively. However, users can use an emulator to emulate a Windows or Android environment. For an example, check out this step-by-step guide from Digital Trends.
The game is also available via popular gaming devices, like Nintendo Switch. Xbox users can download it via Xbox Game Pass and can expect to see it on the Xbox Series S/X in 2021.
What Kinds of Risks Does Among Us Pose? Are There Online Dangers Associated With Playing Among Us?
While there are many positive aspects of online gaming, parents need to be aware of the potential risks that accompany these games. Some of the most common risks include:
1. Financial risk
Online games love to encourage your child to spend money (either virtual or real) in the game. After a child has downloaded a game, in-app purchases and loot boxes tempt players to spend additional money—often with the lure of improving the child’s abilities or appearance in the game. If your child had access to your credit card information, you could quickly lose a lot of money.
2. Infection by malware
Kids searching for cheat codes often go to file-sharing sites that are filled with viruses! For example, a YouTube search for “free V-bucks” (the virtual money used in the game Fortnite) returns hundreds of videos, many of which steer children to another website with the promise of free currency. However, the new sites often trick children into downloading unsafe files or direct them to other malicious sites.
3. Being spied on
Hackers can control any webcam or audio device that’s connected to the Internet and use it to exploit you. Take the time to properly set up your audio and video settings, so you don’t leave yourself vulnerable to these situations.
How Can I Protect My Child When They Play Among Us?
1. Learn about the games your kids are playing.
The first thing you should do is find out everything you can about the games your kids are playing. This means you need to:
- Verify the game’s age appropriateness
- Read the game’s community rules and codes of conduct
- Play the games with your kids
2. Stay away from public lobbies in Among Us.
Among Us offers users the option to play in either public or private lobbies. Public lobbies are available to anyone who joins, while private lobbies are only available to those with the code. Parents should try and keep kids in private lobbies. That way, you’ll know who you’re child is playing with, minimizing the chance of your child’s information being leaked, or having them exposed to potentially disturbing content.
In fact, the developers of the game recommend that most people stay away from public lobbies in October 2020. The recommendation came after several users in public lobbies reported seeing a deluge of spam in the in-game chat. The exploit that allowed this has since been fixed, but it is still better to err on the side of caution.
3. Protect your devices
It doesn’t matter what type of game you enjoy, if any of the games you play (on any platform) connect to the internet, it’s a good idea to use a VPN to maintain your family’s privacy and security. A premium VPN may also improve your gaming experience.
Just because online games take you to an imaginary world doesn’t mean that they can’t have real-life threats. It’s therefore important for you and your children to identify and understand these risks, and learn how to handle them.
How Can I Protect My and My Child’s Privacy While Playing Online Games Like Among Us?
Among Us is far from the only online game people are playing. Games like Fortnite, Valorant, League of Legends, Roblox, and Minecraft are quite popular and present many of the same risks to users. As a parent, you can take additional steps to ensure that your child is safe when playing games online.
Play Among Us with VPN!
One of the best ways to ensure that you’re staying safe is by using a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN is a service that lets you encrypt your internet connection. This is done by routing your internet connection and data to a secure VPN server. This masks your location, hiding it from others, especially those who are looking to steal information about your child for nefarious purposes.
After your Internet connection reaches the VPN server, the VPN server then directs your connection to the website or service you’re trying to access. These websites and services only see your VPN connection rather than your personal home connection.
What Are the Best VPNs for Playing Among Us?
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Play Among Us with VPN on a FlashRouter
VPN service can work on one device but, inherently, these games get played across varied platforms. The only way to secure them in one setup is to set up VPN encryption and security at a router level.
A FlashRouter is a powerful wireless router that comes pre-installed with open-source firmware called DD-WRT. DD-WRT firmware enhances and upgrades the performance and features of wireless routers. The firmware lifts restrictions that are built into the default stock firmware that comes with store-bought routers and allows for full VPN optimization.
Popular streaming devices like Xbox have no native VPN support. Fans who want to play Among Us with VPN on the Xbox can do so only using a FlashRouter. With a VPN-configured FlashRouter, you can be confident that there are no impostors lurking on your network.
What Is the Best FlashRouter for Playing Among Us?
NordLynx WiFi 6 Router – Privacy Hero
$249.99
- Perfect for Medium Homes
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AX3000 WiFi 6 VPN FlashRouter
$149.99
- Perfect for Medium Homes
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Asus RT-BE88U WiFi 7 Merlin FlashRouter
$599.99
- Upgraded with Custom Merlin Firmware.
- Next Gen WiFI 7 Update of Asus favorite model.
Have any questions about how to play Among Us securely, video gaming with VPN, or network security in general? Feel free to reach out!
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