On Tuesday, New York-based Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (frequently called AOC) took to popular streaming platform Twitch to play a few rounds of Among Us. The game, which debuted in 2018, has gained increasing popularity in 2020 due to allowing distant friends and family to play together, even while isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ocasio-Cortez, a known gamer who previously played Animal Crossing: New Horizons with supporters earlier this year, first pitched the idea on Monday via her official Twitter. A number of popular streamers, as well as fellow Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, responded that they were eager to play with her. The game took place Tuesday and, at one point, attracted approximately 435,000 viewers at once. In addition, Ocasio-Cortez’s Twitch account gained over 550,000 new followers.
Anyone want to play Among Us with me on Twitch to get out the vote? (I’ve never played but it looks like a lot of fun)
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 19, 2020
The Congresswoman was open about the fact that her interest in playing Among Us included a desire to connect with younger voters and encourage them to get out and vote during the current early voting period prior to the 2020 General Election in November. During the stream, she discussed her support of Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden and Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris. She also answered questions regarding universal healthcare, including engaging in a discussion with UK based streamer Hbomberguy.
AOC talks healthcare with @Hbomberguy, who is from the UK, where healthcare is free. pic.twitter.com/3wMUZXpuF7
— Brennan Murphy (@brenonade) October 21, 2020
In addition to speaking about politics, Ocasio-Cortez definitely seemed to enjoy the game, even giggling and attempting to be sneaky when assigned the role of the murderous “Impostor”. She was also quite interested in the game’s lore, asking what year it was and what the crew members were doing in space in the first place – questions many Among Us fans have been asking since the game dropped.
While her participation in the stream primarily received praise and positive feedback, some did accuse Ocasio-Cortez of “electioneering” – attempting to influence voters during events not strictly related to politics. Some also questioned the effectiveness of using video games in politics. It remains to be seen whether her efforts have changed voters.
The entire stream can be watched here.