MANILA, Philippines – The Police Regional Office Eastern Visayas (PRO 8) said on Tuesday. June 23, that the younger of the two suspects in the Tacloban school shooting on Monday played a violent videogame called GoreBox prior to the incident.

In a SunStar Philippines report, PRO 8 director Brigadier General Jason Capoy said, “Yes, just like the Roblox may laro, may shooting. Shooting din, mga ganung firearms. Medyo bayolente po ‘yung laro.”

(Yes, just like the Roblox [game] there’s a game, there’s shooting. Shooting also and firearms. The game is somewhat violent.)

He added the 14-year-old suspect was the one who played GoreBox.

Guns used in shooting were in care of family members

According to Capoy, the 14-year-suspect was previously brought to a shooting range at a point in time prior. “He was not really proficient or experienced, but he knew how to manipulate a gun to release a magazine and reload,” he added.

In a Super Radyo DZBB interview, PRO 8 Police Lieutenant Colonel Analiza Armeza said the 9mm pistol used by the 14-year-old suspect was owned by his aunt, a policewoman. The policewoman is now under restrictive custody and may face administrative charges. Some 40 empty shells were recovered from the crime scene, all from the 9mm pistol.

The .38 caliber revolver of the 15-year-old suspect was traced to a Cebu-based security agency. It was fired only once. The grandfather of the 15-year-old boy is reportedly a former security guard, according to SunStar Philippines.

What is GoreBox?

GoreBox, developed by F2 Games, is available on Windows, Linux, and Android devices. On the Android store page for the game, it is rated by the International Age Rating Coalition as meant for players 18 or above, due to depictions of extreme violence.

GoreBox is described as a “physics-driven sandbox game where creativity meets unrestrained destruction.”

As a sandbox game, it means players are free to do what they want within the game’s confines. In this case, users can play around with various weapons and explosives against blocky versions of other humans.

According to a Channel News Asia report citing GoreBox and Roblox in a case in Singapore where a 14-year-old Singaporean became self-radicalized online by ISIS extremist ideologies, there are also instances where players can create or recreate attacks by ISIS, as well as executions.

Single-player play since March

While previously allowing for multiplayer play, GoreBox removed its online functionality in March.

According to F2 Games, “We spent a long time battling exploiters, patching vulnerabilities, rebuilding systems, and doing everything in our power to protect the experience for legitimate players.”

“Over the past months, exploiters, bot raids, and security vulnerabilities forced us to shift our entire development focus away from content and bug fixes toward keeping multiplayer functional and secure. Development of actual content and bug fixes took a back seat for longer than we would have liked, and we appreciate your patience through that period,” the developers added.

The pivot from online sandbox to offline single-player game, F2 Games said, will allow them to work toward “a proper singleplayer experience, potentially including a campaign that finally brings the GoreBox lore to life.”

CICC temporarily bans ‘Gorebox’ following shooting

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) announced it had temporarily banned GoreBox beginning June 23. The length of time for the ban was not stated.

In a statement, CICC Undersecretary Aboy Paraiso said of the move, “We are blocking Gorebox temporarily as a precautionary measure pending the investigation. Within the day, expect the app to be blocked.”

Paraiso added, “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.”

Paraiso also said that, “Among other applications, we will be conducting strict monitoring to gain greater visibility into online activities involving GoreBox.”

Further monitoring of online spaces potentially posing risks to young users, Paraiso said, would be done to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of Filipino children using the internet.

The CICC added that it provides rapid incident response mechanisms to address reports of online threats or cyberbullying. The public can report such cases through Hotline 1326 or report@cicc.gov.ph. – Rappler.com