The Philippines has temporarily blocked the gaming application Gorebox following a preliminary investigation that linked a 14-year-old suspect in a rare school shooting to the game. The incident, which occurred on Monday at San Jose National High School in Tacloban, southeast of Manila, resulted in three students killed and 20 others wounded. Two suspects, aged 15 and 14, allegedly fired handguns inside a classroom.
Gorebox Game Description and Rating
Police confirmed that the 14-year-old suspect was a player of Gorebox, a first-person shooter game available on Google Play. According to its listing, players can “obliterate anything [they] desire” and “engage in brutal combat with an extensive arsenal of weapons and explosives.” The International Age Rating Coalition has assigned Gorebox an R18 rating due to extremely violent, explicit, and unrestrictive gameplay. The game can be played solo or as an online multiplayer.
Government Response and Blocking
“We cannot ignore possible online influences that may have contributed to this tragic incident,” the country’s cyber-security agency stated. Aboy Paraiso, an undersecretary at the Cybercrime Investigation and Co-ordinating Centre, explained, “Temporarily blocking the game will allow authorities to conduct a thorough assessment into whether the platform played any role in the actions of the suspects.” BBC News has contacted Gorebox’s maker, Germany’s F2Games, for comment. Scientific studies have not found a direct link between video games and violent behavior.
Legal Proceedings and Charges
Late on Tuesday, police filed murder charges against the 15-year-old suspect. The 14-year-old suspect is too young to be charged under Philippine law. Allan Rae Co, spokesman of the Philippine National Police, said the younger suspect appeared to have been “heavily influenced” by online content and had been posting violent content online. According to police, the 9mm pistol the 14-year-old allegedly fired belonged to his aunt, a policewoman who was suspended from duty after the shooting. The 15-year-old’s .38 caliber revolver was registered to his grandfather’s security agency.
Motives and Background
According to the preliminary investigation, the suspects claimed they were bullied in school. Co stated that before the shooting, the two boys had locked themselves in the bathroom. “All indications point to the fact that it was planned,” Co said. A friend of the 15-year-old suspect, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, described the boy as uptight and prone to fights with bullies because he refused to let insults pass. “I would tell him to be the bigger person if there are misunderstandings, or say sorry if he gets into fights, but he won’t listen. He won’t allow anyone to offend him. You’ll notice his hairstyle and outfits, like he’s someone from the army. I think he was influenced by his grandfather to be very disciplined,” the friend said. “I couldn’t think that someone could do such a heinous thing.” The friend added that the boy appeared to “know everything” about guns.
Context of Gun Violence in the Philippines
Mass shootings are rare in the Philippines, though gun-related crimes are not uncommon and sensational cases are staples of early evening newscasts. The worst mass shooting in recent Philippine history occurred in November 2009, when a town mayor in the southern province of Maguindanao shot dead 58 people, mostly journalists, who were traveling with the convoy of a political rival. Akbayan party-list congressman Chel Diokno called for stiffer penalties for those who allow minors access to firearms.
