AP Thomson, developer of surreal strategy game Titanium Court, has expressed solidarity with those affected by the litany of “cruel and unnecessary” practices currently being employed by the Trump-led US government. Taking to the stage to give an acceptance speech after Titanium Court was awarded the Independent Game Festival (IGF)’s Seumas McNally Grand Prize for the Best Independent Game, Thomson shared a message that ended in hope future awards shows will be able to see everyone come together “safe and thriving”.
“I kind of did this last year but you have foolishly honored me twice, so I’m going to go ahead and do it again,” the Consume Me co-developer said on stage in San Francisco (as transcribed by Game Developer). “While I’m up here I want to shout out all of our friends and neighbors who couldn’t be here tonight. Our international friends and neighbors who cannot safely travel to this country. Our immigrant friends and neighbors who cannot safely travel inside this country. Our trans friends and neighbors who cannot safely travel after having their driver’s licenses revoked overnight without warning by a cruel and unnecessary legislative act.
“Our friends and neighbors in places like Iran, Venezuela, or Gaza who fear for their lives on a daily basis because of cruel and unnecessary violence. I don’t have any plans to stand on this stage again anytime soon, but if I ever were to do so again I would want it to be amongst all of my friends and neighbors, safe and thriving.”
Since Donald Trump’s return to power in 2025, the US government under his stewardship have seen the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) take up a campaign of mass deportation which has seen people suspected of being undocumented migrants arrested and detained by ICE agents. Some of these agents have reportedly used violence in a manner which violates policies governing the use of force by American law enforcement, and one – Jonathan Ross – fatally shot Renee Good while on duty in January. As current United Nations high commissioner for human rights Volker Türk put it that same month: “Those who dare to speak up or protest peacefully against heavy-handed immigration raids are vilified and threatened by officials, and on occasion subjected to arbitrary violence themselves.”
Thomson’s comment about legislation revoking the driver’s licences of transgender people refers to the recent decision of those running the state of Kansas to pass a law which retroactively canceled licenses and invalidated birth certificates which have had their gender markers changed. NBC report that around 1,700 trans people living in Kansas have lost their driver’s licenses as a result.
On the war front, the US and Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Iran has seen at least 1,348 civilians killed in the latter country so far, according to Iran’s United Nations representative Amir Saeid Iravani. Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to meddle in Venezuelan politics following their abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and seizing of control over the country’s oil. The US government have also continued to support Israel during the latter’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
