Indie game developer linked to white house dinner shooting: atomic fighting game reveals darker side
A 31-year-old Torrance, California, man, Cole Tomas Allen, allegedly attempted to breach the White House Correspondents’ Dinner security, and his obsession with gaming has now surfaced in a bizarre and unsettling way.
A gamer’s fury: the bohrdom connection
Authorities apprehended Allen Saturday following a shooting near a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton. The incident, reportedly targeting President Trump and his administration, quickly revealed a surprising thread: Allen was a self-proclaimed ‘indie game developer’ with a peculiar creation called Bohrdom.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Allen registered a trademark for the game, a minimalist atomic-themed fighting game, back in 2019, just before releasing it on Steam in December 2018. Bohrdom, still available on the platform, describes itself as an “atomic fighting game,” boasting a “skill-based, non-violent asymmetrical fighting game loosely derived from a chemistry model.” The description, oddly enough, suggests a hybrid of bullet hell and racing games, complete with self-propelled pinballs – a far cry from a typical political protest.
Technical specifications and a torrent of criticism
The game’s Steam page, initially boasting a peak concurrent player count of just one or two, experienced a dramatic surge to 22 players on April 26th following the shooting. However, the game is currently being subjected to a ‘review-bomb’ – a deluge of predominantly negative reviews, many of which appear to be trollish and lacking substantial playtime. One particularly pointed review reads: ‘when I’m in a ‘weirdest way to get publicity for my game’ competition and my opponent is this developer.’
Linkedin reveals a complex profile
Allen’s LinkedIn profile paints a picture of a multifaceted individual: a “game dev, engineer, scientist, teacher.” His ‘About’ section succinctly states, “Mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth.” His listed experience details him as a self-employed ‘indie game developer’ since September 2018, based in San Gabriel, California. The profile outlines his work on Bohrdom, including the creation of custom musical pieces and over 750 custom graphics, alongside the development of an advanced 2D elastic collision physics engine. He even detailed the creation of a second, unfinished game, tentatively titled “First Law.”
A digital siege: the steam discussion
The Steam Discussion page for Bohrdom is a chaotic landscape of toxic commentary, largely focused on the incident itself. The sheer volume of threads initiated in the last 24 hours underscores the game’s sudden notoriety. The ability to purchase and download Bohrdom has been disabled, with Steam yet to issue a formal comment. Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for Washington, has charged Allen with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. He is expected to be formally charged on Monday.
This case isn’t just about a shooting; it’s a disturbing glimpse into the mind of an individual driven to extreme actions, fueled by a seemingly obsessive dedication to a niche gaming project. The irony—a game built around atomic physics, culminating in a violent act—is, frankly, chilling.