Austin Kelmore
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austinkelmore.com
Austin Kelmore
@austinkelmore.com
Unionizing the games industry one person at a time. Cofounder of @gameworkers.co.uk, @gameworkersolidarity.com, and @nogamesforgenocide.com.

Game worker, rock climber, cat hugger based in Glasgow, Scotland.

https://www.austinkelmore.com
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Welcome new followers! I've been making video games for over 17 years now, which is a long time.

I co-founded and help run the IWGB Game Workers, which is the UK's largest game worker union. www.gameworkers.co.uk

I also co-founded and help run www.gameworkersolidarity.com.

And I have two cats!
I've continued to climbing 2-3 times a week and now that I'm in the groove of it, damn does it feel good to regularly work out again.

It's amazing how going to my happy place multiple times a week improves my mood. Who would have guessed?
January 11, 2026 at 7:56 PM
I'm continuing to write this today and I've finally found the angle that ties it all together.

I'm really happy with how it's turning out. If mutuals who are producers would like to read it and give feedback, please let me know.
I'm writing an essay about the difference between producers who use their power over people on game teams versus with the people on the team.

I'm finding it so difficult to be succinct because I'm having to explain why hierarchy is enforced at work and I don't think most people understand that.
January 11, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
I think about this quote from the Luddite movement all the time
January 11, 2026 at 12:12 AM
"At first glance, virtue signaling and vice signaling might appear to be opposites, with virtue signalers associated with do-gooders and vice signaling with more cartoonish villainy."

A good explanation of what's going on with the people in power right now.

www.bostonreview.net/articles/emp...
Empire of Vice
In a perverse twist on virtue signaling, the Trump administration is training Americans in the politics of raw domination.
www.bostonreview.net
January 11, 2026 at 10:47 AM
For the discord survey about AI that's going around - where did this come from?

How do we know that discord started it and is actually reading the results?
January 10, 2026 at 1:51 PM
January 9, 2026 at 9:15 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
2026 is already bringing about studio closures and corporate decisions without worker input.

Now is the time to build a better future. As tech and video game workers, organizing is how we fight back.

Learn how @ one of our organizer trainings this month ⤵️
Upcoming CODE-CWA Trainings
code-cwa.org
January 9, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
I'm in my mid-50s. I started organizing against the violence of policing when I was a teenager. I've heard ALL of the so-called "reform" proposals. They are the SAME ONES that liberals are offering in 2026. Cops have never killed more people in my lifetime.

Gotta do something different.
January 9, 2026 at 6:42 PM
I had to stop watching One Battle After Another not even a third of the way through because I had such a strong negative reaction to it.

I do not understand that movie, it's not for me.
January 9, 2026 at 7:49 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
A queer and women-owned independent video game publication from @midimyers.com and @zoehhannah.com? Throw infinite bands at this.

www.mothership.blog/board-the-mo...
Board the Mothership.
You're just in time. A couple weeks from now, on January 26, 2026, we'll be launching the full version of our new gaming website, Mothership, which aims to analyze games specifically through the...
www.mothership.blog
January 9, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
It's time to board the Mothership.
www.youtube.com/shorts/iEw90...
Board the Mothership.
YouTube video by Mothership Media LLC
www.youtube.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:59 PM
I sent an intro meeting invite to someone today and misspelled their name.

I'm really winning the first impression game.
fozzie bear is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee
Alt: fozzie bear is sitting at a table with a cup of coffee putting his hand over his face in disgust.
media.tenor.com
January 9, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
Something a lot of people refuse to internalize in this country is that cops (at all levels) are almost always rightwing in ideology.
January 9, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
Congratulations to @strikemap.org on five years 🥳

They made an excellent book revisiting some of the strikes and telling the story so far 📖✊

Get a copy here bit.ly/SM5yearhardb... and support the project for many years to come!
January 9, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
Comrade card for 7/13/2025.
July 13, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
We are extremely appalled and shocked at the recent news of the closure of Ubisoft Halifax - we stand in solidarity with all of those affected.
January 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
Best TikTok thing going is the two dudes trying food from every country without leaving NYC. If you haven’t seen them yet, it’s incredible. My favorite so far is last week’s. Legit got me emotional.
January 9, 2026 at 1:50 AM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
I've been running an indie games studio for 15 years now, and it felt like a good time to boil down what I've learned into 4 pieces of advice:

www.pentadact.com/2026-01-08-1...

I hope it's of use, not least because goddamn I forgot how long blog posts take to write.
January 8, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
These fucking politicians need to STOP CONSTANTLY admonishing protestors to be "peaceful" while they are being brutalized regularly by the gatekeepers of the state. You should be up there telling ICE and Border Patrol to be fucking peaceful.
January 8, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
start with what it is (not what it isn't)
focus on why they're lying (not their lies)
make it about them (not her)
eat their frame
I feel like this is extremely relevant again

Not “this was not self-defense” but “this was murder”

Not “she didn’t run the ICE agent over” but “she was murdered while trying to drive away”
i made a helpful reference
January 8, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
There are no short cuts. I'm sorry. There is only long term, consistent, and disciplined organizing.
January 8, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
Human brains feed off of negativity. Negative thoughts are easily digested and play in a loop in your mind all of the time. The reality, however, is that there is also A LOT OF GOOD happening every single minute. You have to do more work to pay attention to the good but it's worth it.
January 7, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Reposted by Austin Kelmore
Look at the hundreds of people in that community in Minneapolis who ran TOWARDS the danger. Look at those who documented in their heads what happened so they could accurately recount it afterwards, look at those currently out protesting. Pay attention & do your part too.
January 7, 2026 at 11:03 PM