In this activity, we will explore how technology can affect our friendships!
Materials
Device with internet capabilities
Among Us App (App Store)
One Night Ultimate Werewolf App (App Store)
Paper
Scissors
Pen/Pencil
Time Estimated:
30 minutes per game
Directions:
To start off, play the online game Among Us:
First, download the app Among Us from your device’s app store (it’s free!).
Open up the app and select the online option. You can also do a local version or a practice version on your own time.
Under the host section, click “create game.”
Choose the game map, number of imposters, chat language, and maximum number of players.
Tell your online friends to hop in the lobby and play!
Once the game starts, all players will be randomly assigned a role as either a crewmate, impostor or one of the specialist roles.
Specialist roles include Scientist and Engineer on the side of the crewmates, and Shapeshifter on the side of the imposters.
If you are a crewmate, your goal is to complete randomly assigned tasks without being killed by the imposter.
If you are selected as the imposter, your job is to eliminate as many crewmates as possible without getting caught. You can travel through the vents and sabotage certain areas of the map. Your goal is not to get voted out or cause suspicion.
If an emergency meeting is called, crewmates will have the opportunity to vote on who they think might be an imposter.
You can also use the admin table to see what room players are in and the vitals panel to show you who is alive or dead without having to call an emergency meeting. In addition, you can also use security cameras to view specific sections of the map in real-time.
Use the joystick icon on the left to move.
Look at the top of the screen for your tasks and complete them.
If you find a dead crewmate, report it to call an emergency meeting.
Chat with other crew members and cooperate on deciding who you think the imposter is. Since you are not in person, you will have to rely solely on words to communicate and be concise.
Whoever gets the most votes is ejected from the ship.
If all imposters are ejected from the ship, or all tasks are completed, the crewmates win.
Game Over!
Next, play the in-person game of One Night: Ultimate Werewolf, which is similar to the game Mafia:
First, gather a group of friends or family around a table or carpet. You will need at least three players total to join in, but the more, the merrier!
Download the app One Night Ultimate Werewolf from your device’s app store (it’s free!).
Open up the app and familiarize yourself with the start screen.
Grab a piece of paper and cut it up into seven pieces.
Write one role on each piece of paper: werewolf, minion, seer, troublemaker, robber, and two villagers. Fold each piece of paper to keep the roles hidden.
If you have more than seven players, cut up more pieces of paper to add more roles based on the characters from the app.
Select each of these roles from the cast of characters on the app home screen. You can unselect and select different characters.
Separate the werewolf paper from the rest of the other roles. This ensures that the werewolf is part of the game, while still keeping it adjustable to differing numbers of players.
Mix the stack of the other six roles together before separating the required roles, or the number of players minus one (ie. if there are four players, there are three required roles selected out from the stack).
Keep the leftover papers (extra roles) to be placed in the center facing down.
Mix the required roles and now add the werewolf paper, still keeping them all folded.
Every player will pick one role from the folded papers, keeping it secret for the game.
Once everyone knows their roles, press play on the app, which will give you audio instructions on what to do for your role. Make sure to pay attention to your context clues!
When the audio is over, players have five minutes to discuss who they think the werewolf is.
Remember to use facial expressions, emotional reactions, communication, and cooperation to find out who the werewolf is.
If you’re the werewolf, remember to use neutral reactions and your communication skills to attempt to convince others you’re not!
After the five minutes are up, point to who you think it is on the count of three. Whoever has the most votes is voted off and “killed.”
If the person voted off was the werewolf, progress to the next step. Otherwise repeat the previous steps with the person voted off now being an observer.
Game Over!
Think Like a Scientist!
Did you feel more comfortable speaking in the online discussion because you were anonymous?
Think about reasons you liked the online game and reasons you like the in person game. How were they similar? How were they different?
How Does it Work?
Sometimes, being anonymous can make people feel more comfortable speaking to peers because it can lessen feelings of self-consciousness or the perceived pressure to behave a certain way. When anonymous online, we only rely on our voices to convey emotions and ideas, meaning that what we say and how we say it are super important! When we are anonymous to one another, however, it can be harder to form lasting social bonds and get to know one another more personally to form deeper relationships. In person, we use nonverbal communication like body language and facial expressions along with language to convey our emotions and ideas, allowing for more nuanced communication– but, we are more exposed in this way. So, playing games online and in person both have different pros and cons, and can be enjoyable in different ways!
Further Exploration:
Playing games online has gotten more and more common in the past few years, with numerous multiplayer online games being released, and continues to be a very popular method of socialization for young people. However, over the last couple years, we have also seen the incredible importance of seeing our peers face to face to establish and maintain healthy social bonds. Technology can be used to strengthen and energize friendships, and so can seeing one another in person, so balancing the two methods of socialization can be super beneficial!
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