“Among Us,” the game we have communaly turned to not for solace, but for catharsis. For many, it also offered an escape from the constant political news cycle that dominated our every earthly moment leading up to November. Knowing that traditional incentives would not be enough to encourage the next generation of Americans that their vote counts, Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (31) and Ilhan Omar (38) became our crewmates in a Get Out and Vote” stream that can only be described as simultaneously heart warming, gut wrenching, and motivating.
Whether or not the Congresswomen’s “Among Us” stream impacted the ultimate outcome of the election may remain an unanswerable urban legend, but their highly relatable antics have been immortalized for generations to come. To watch the full stream click this link. You can also find a full list of the streamers that participated here
It is in honor of Kamala Harris’ historic victory, and all those fighting for gender equality that I present to you the Top 10 Moments of AOC and Ilhan Omar’s “Among Us” Stream.
- Starting Out Strong: AOC is absolutely darling as she learns the game, receiving the honor of being imposter for her first two games in a row. In true newbie fashion, she even accidentally self-reports. At the end of her first game, with the evidence of her evil deeds mounted against her, AOC’s friend and colleague, Ilhan Omar, goes ride or die and refuses to vote for her friend and colleague. Regardless, AOC is ejected and in the waiting room all the streamers offer to give her tips and tricks of the trade.
- “I can’t kill Poki… she’s so nice”: In a moment of panic, AOC kills Pokimane in security and gets instantly caught by Myth. Her patented brilliance comes to play when she asks what security is, saving herself for the time being but getting her co-imposter killed. Having achieved “America’s Sweetheart” status though, Pokimane insists it was an honor to be killed by her.
- “Ilhan is Prolific”: AOC and Ilhan become co-imposters and use their combined intuitive game sense to play mind games with their co-streamers. While AOC is fumbling with venting, sabotaging, and fake tasks, Ilhan goes on a kill spree deemed prolific by her partner. Like a true gamer and politician, AOC calls out her own voting patterns as suspicious. In the end, the game served as a learning experience for our two heroines as they were defeated by the logic of their crewmates.
- Disguised Toast “marinates” AOC: Streamer Disguised Toast is known for luring crewmates into a false sense of security in a move known as “marinating.” For an entire round he follows AOC around without killing her. At first she vouches for him, then gets increasingly suspicious of his motives. “It’s like a Rachel Ray… Wolfgang Puck long term. Your sous vide marinating.” She jokes before calling him an evil genius.
- AOC Metagames Hasanabi: In a meeting Poki agrees that Hasanabi is “extremely” sus and AOC rolls with it. “He’s just giving me a vibe” she proclaims and even brings up the previous game they had played. HasanAbi’s only defense before the vote is that she’s metagaming for vengeance.
- Ilhan interrupts Myth’s download (11:39): If being murdered isn’t rage inducing enough, there is a special wickedness in murdering someone during a long task. Clearly, Ilhan takes no prisoners and no chances. While she ultimately faces justice, the moment is indicative of the sort of the drive that got her elected.
- AOC Dances to Simon Says (4:10): Which one of us hasn’t imitated an “Among Us” sound. Wrapped up in her own little world, AOC is all of us as she signs the simon says tunes out loud
- Ilhan’s Daughter Calls her Sus (0:18): In a rare moment that intersects her virtual, professional, and private lives, Ilhan Omar’s own daughter insists that she must be the imposter. “Why are we trusting my mom?” she laughs leading the Congresswoman to insist that she never lies. Moments like these make you wonder if Ilhan may have been training leading up to the stream or if she has similar game nights with her family.
- Corpse Messes with AOC: Now a veteran “Among Us” player, AOC is in deep concentration when Corpse says “Umm AOC.” Sensing an accusation coming she quickly gets defensive, but all he says is “How was your day?”
- “After all we’ve been through” (1:05): This exclamation from AOC after a betrayal from Hbomberguy has become the most meme-ified moment of the entire stream. It has since circulated the interwebs as a Tik Tok sound byte. Hbomber guy quickly apologizes before snapping AOC’s neck and afterwards remarks: “Now I’m murdering a sitting Congresswoman”
Real Women of Gaming 