PC Gamer is supported by its audience. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
By published
I’ll take «It was Red» for 800, Alex.
There are few things Canadians enjoy more than Jeopardy questions about our homeland: It gives us an opportunity to feel smart and smug while the American players on our television screens try to figure out who Don Harron was. Now gamers can get a taste of what that’s like too, thanks to the multiplayer murder game Among Us (opens in new tab), which had the honor of being the subject of a question in a recent episode.
Except Jeopardy, as you may know, reverses the Q&A formula: «Slang adjective for someone you think is not what they seem, especially if they might be in the impostor game Among Us» is the answer on the board; the question, provided by contestant Mattea, is «What is ‘sus?'» She doesn’t seem entirely confident in her answer, but of course it’s right on the money.
Interestingly, sus is not a word invented by or for Among Us. As Inverse (opens in new tab) explains, the abbreviation of «suspicious» actually dates back to English police jargon in the 1930s in phrases about «sussing something out,» a usage that’s still fairly common today. «Sus law» was also used to describe a stop-and-search law enacted in England in 1824, which—no surprise here—was used to disproportionately target Black and brown people. That law wasn’t repealed until 1981, following the Brixton Riot (opens in new tab) in London.
Separately, «sus» became a regular part of the gamer vernacular thanks to the phenomenal success of Among Us, a little indie game that launched in 2018. It took a couple years to really blow up, but when it did in 2020 it became one of the most-played games on Steam (opens in new tab)—striding amongst titans like CS:GO, Dota 2, and Grand Theft Auto 5 at one point. Its popularity has cooled somewhat since, although it remains within the top 100 on Steam—and that silly little three-letter word has now truly carried it to the big-time: the hallowed Jeopardy board
Thanks, Kotaku (opens in new tab).
Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.
Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors.
Thank you for signing up to PC Gamer. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab).
© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.
