A small indie game released on Steam in 2018 has become the unlikely focal point of online chaos following the arrest of its developer on suspicion of opening fire near the White House Correspondents' Dinner Saturday.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was taken into custody after police say he discharged a weapon near a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton during the event. U.S. President Donald Trump and his officials were identified as the likely targets, according to acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Allen had marketed himself online as an indie game developer and released Bohrdom, described on its Steam page as an "atomic fighting game" and billed as a "skill-based, non-violent asymmetrical fighting game loosely derived from a chemistry model." The game launched December 20, 2018, and remained largely dormant until this week.
Prior to the incident, Bohrdom had accumulated just two user reviews on Steam. Within hours of news of Allen's arrest, the game became a target for review-bombers. As of Wednesday, it had received 70 positive and 55 negative reviews, most from accounts with minimal playtime in the game. One review that gained prominence read: "when I'm in a 'weirdest way to get publicity for my game' competition and my opponent is this developer."
Activity on Bohrdom's Steam discussion page spiked dramatically as well, with dozens of new threads appearing over a 24-hour period. The conversations turned toxic, with users discussing current events rather than the game itself.
Traffic data showed the game's peak concurrent players jumped to 22 on Sunday, April 26, up from a consistent count of one or two throughout its entire history. Steam has since disabled the ability to purchase and download Bohrdom, which had been priced at $2.
On LinkedIn, Allen had listed himself as a "game dev, engineer, scientist, teacher" with a mechanical engineering and computer science background. His profile credited him with designing and building Bohrdom using custom C++ code, developing a custom 2D elastic collision physics engine, and creating over 750 custom graphics and several musical pieces. He also referenced a second game in development called "First Law," which does not appear to have been released.
Allen faces two federal charges: using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. He is expected to be formally charged in federal court.
Author Emily Chen: "The internet's obsession with mocking someone accused of a serious violent crime through a video game review section says far more about online culture than it does about indie game development."
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