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Introduction
Among Us may look simple on the surface—complete your tasks, stay alive, and find the Impostor. But beneath the playful art style and short match format lies a game of deep social strategy, logic, and behavioral reading. For new players, especially in public lobbies, this creates a serious problem: the skill gap. Inexperienced crewmates are often outplayed, manipulated, or even bullied by seasoned players. This article takes an in-depth look at how the disparity in skill between new and veteran players affects game balance, lobby health, and the future of Among Us as a social deduction experience.
1. Understanding the Core Skills in Among Us
While Among Us may seem accessible, mastery requires a wide range of skills: map knowledge, task optimization, route planning, social deception, lie detection, and group management.
Experienced players:
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Memorize map layouts for maximum efficiency.
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Use vent routes and sabotage patterns strategically.
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Know how to control discussions to shape group decisions.
New players:
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Get lost easily on the map.
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Do tasks inefficiently or incorrectly.
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Struggle to speak confidently or defend themselves.
This asymmetry leads to uneven games where one side dominates without challenge.
2. The Problem with Public Lobbies
Unlike private games with friends, public lobbies are random and lack structure. They mix players of all skill levels, languages, and intentions. New players who just installed the game are immediately thrown into matches with veterans who expect fast, tactical plays.
Consequences include:
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New players are voted out for seeming “suspicious” without doing anything wrong.
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Veterans rage quit or spam chat when paired with less skilled players.
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Games end quickly, leaving little room for learning or improvement.
3. The Speed Meta and Its Impact
In many public lobbies, an unofficial “speed meta” has developed. Players expect fast meetings, fast voting, and fast matches. Discussions are rushed, votes are cast based on minimal info, and tasks are completed as quickly as possible.
This environment is hostile to new players who need time to:
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Understand what’s happening.
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Learn how to read the room.
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Navigate tasks and objectives.
Instead of being mentored or guided, they are rushed or kicked, reinforcing the skill divide.
4. Toxic Veteran Behavior
One of the darker side effects of the skill gap is toxic behavior from veteran players. These can include:
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Vote spamming or saying “trust me, it’s red” with no evidence.
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Mocking or ridiculing new players in chat.
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Initiating early votes based on stereotypes (e.g., “cyan is always sus”).
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Leaving matches instantly if they don’t get Impostor.
Such behavior alienates new players, kills learning opportunities, and poisons the community atmosphere in public games.
5. The Language Barrier and Communication Breakdown
Many public lobbies mix players from different countries with no shared language. This adds another layer of complexity, especially for new players who already struggle to communicate effectively.
Veterans often:
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Use shorthand (“sus,” “self-report,” “taskbar meta”) that new players don’t understand.
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Get frustrated if others can’t explain their actions quickly.
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Vote out silent or slow typers without giving them a chance.
This communication gap can make new players feel lost, anxious, or even unwelcome.
6. How the Task System Contributes to the Gap
Tasks are meant to be simple objectives, but veteran players use them for advanced deduction:
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Watching task bars to confirm crewmates.
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Timing animations to detect fakes.
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Knowing task locations to test alibis.
New players, unfamiliar with task types and mechanics, can’t fake convincingly when Impostor—or accidentally “clear” themselves when they shouldn’t.
This often gives veterans an unfair edge and results in premature ejections of new players based on task confusion.
7. Impostor Difficulty for New Players
Playing Impostor is stressful even for veterans, but for new players, it’s often a nightmare. They don’t understand:
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How to blend in.
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When to sabotage effectively.
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How to avoid cameras and groupings.
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How to defend themselves under pressure.
Meanwhile, experienced crewmates instantly recognize rookie mistakes:
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Killing in plain sight.
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Venting near cams.
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Failing to fake tasks convincingly.
Games end in one or two rounds, with no chance for the Impostor to learn or improve.
8. Attempts at Self-Balancing: Role Mods and Matchmaking
Community mods like “Town of Us” or “The Other Roles” introduce new roles that give inexperienced players more tools to survive:
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Guardian Angel to protect others after dying.
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Engineer to use vents as crewmates.
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Snitch to detect Impostors when completing tasks.
While these can help balance matches, they are rarely used in public lobbies and often require outside installation or modded lobbies.
Additionally, Among Us still lacks proper matchmaking to group players by skill, leaving the door open for constant mismatches.
9. The Emotional Toll on New Players
For many new players, the thrill of joining a popular game quickly turns into frustration:
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They’re kicked for no reason.
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They’re voted out without evidence.
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They’re ignored in chat.
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They lose constantly without knowing why.
This demoralizing experience often causes players to uninstall the game or avoid public lobbies entirely, hurting long-term player retention and growth.
10. What Can Be Done: Solutions and Future Fixes
To address the skill gap in Among Us, a multi-layered approach is needed:
For developers:
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Introduce a tutorial or onboarding system for new players.
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Create skill-based matchmaking tiers or beginner lobbies.
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Add optional AI practice modes (solo Impostor vs bots).
For the community:
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Encourage patience and guidance in lobbies.
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Promote codes of conduct or player etiquette.
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Provide server tags like “newbie-friendly” or “fast play.”
For veteran players:
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Remember that everyone started as a beginner.
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Use private games or Discord lobbies for advanced strategies.
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Help, rather than humiliate, new players.
Conclusion
The skill gap in Among Us public lobbies is a growing problem that silently undermines the player experience, especially for newcomers. Without proper systems for onboarding, communication, and matchmaking, new players are set up to fail—and often blamed for it. While mods and community solutions offer hope, meaningful change must come from both developers and veteran players alike. If Among Us is to remain accessible and engaging, it needs to ensure that every crewmate—new or old—has a fair chance to play, learn, and survive.
