Mobile game GoreBox ordered blocked after Tacloban school attack
MANILA, Philippines — The government-run Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center has ordered a temporary block on the online game GoreBox after the deadly school shooting in Tacloban City that left three students dead and 20 others injured.
In a statement on Tuesday, June 23, the CICC said the move was prompted by initial police findings that one of the Grade 9 students involved in the June 22 attack at San Jose National High School was an avid player of the game.
The CICC described GoreBox, first launched in 2023, as a "physics-driven sandbox game where creativity meets unrestrained destruction," allowing users to experiment with various weapons and graphic depictions of violence.
"We are blocking GoreBox temporarily as a precautionary measure pending the investigation. Within the day, expect the app to be blocked," CICC Undersecretary Aboy Paraiso said.
"We cannot ignore possible online influences that may have contributed to this tragic incident. Temporarily blocking the game will allow authorities to conduct a thorough assessment and determine whether the platform played any role in the actions of the suspects," he added.
Police cite game use
In a phone interview on Tuesday, Police Regional Office 8 Director Brigadier General Jayson Capoy confirmed the minor suspect's regular engagement with the platform.
Police earlier said one of the minors in the Tacloban school shooting had a history of playing GoreBox, which investigators described as a violent game involving firearms.
Authorities have not said that the game caused the attack.
Youth online monitoring
In response to the shooting, the CICC said its Threat Monitoring Center has intensified surveillance of youth online activities in coordination with the Council for the Welfare of Children.
The monitoring will focus on platforms with similar characteristics, the agency said.
"Among other applications, we will be conducting strict monitoring to gain greater visibility into online activities involving GoreBox," Paraiso said.
"Our priority is the safety and well-being of Filipino children exposed to the internet. Beyond this temporary ban, we are reinforcing our monitoring efforts to identify online spaces that may pose risks to young users and to ensure that appropriate interventions are made immediately," he added.
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