The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) on Tuesday issued a temporary ban against the mobile game GoreBox following the school shooting in Tacloban City that killed three students and injured 20 others.
Temporary Ban Based on Initial Police Investigation
In a statement, CICC Undersecretary Renato “Aboy” Paraiso said the temporary ban was placed after initial police investigation found that one of the Grade 9 students involved in the shooting at the San Jose National High School was an avid player of the online game. GoreBox allows players to experiment with various weapons and shows 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,” Paraiso said.
Enhanced Surveillance and Public Reporting
In addition, the CICC has partnered with the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) and the CICC’s Threat Monitoring Center (TMC) to intensify surveillance of online activities in GoreBox and other similar platforms. “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 said.
He called on the public to report cases of cyberbullying and other online threats to the CICC Hotline 1326 or through email at report@cicc.gov.ph.
Game Background and Government Stance
Launched in 2023 for Android phones and later on PCs through the Steam store, GoreBox is advertised as a “physics-driven sandbox game where creativity meets unrestrained destruction.” Earlier, the Marcos administration said it is open to legislative measures that would regulate access to violent content, particularly among minors.
