An online game that centers on “destruction and experimentation“, GoreBox has been temporarily banned by the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) following initial police reports indicating a link between the open-world gaming platform and one of the two minor suspects involved in the fatal shooting incident in Tacloban City, Leyte, on Tuesday.
What we know so far
The deadly school shooting happened on the morning of June 22, inside a classroom at San Jose National High School, which left three students dead and 20 others injured.
The two perpetrators are minors, aged 14 and 15 – both Grade 9 students at the said high school.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is reportedly examining a possible angle that links the suspects’ violent behavior to GoreBox.
According to a report by GMA News Online, the 14-year-old suspect had been playing GoreBox, as confirmed by Police Brig. Gen. Jayson Capoy, director of the Police Regional Office in Eastern Visayas, in a Tuesday interview on Super Radyo dzBB.
There also are reports, at least based on the suspects’ initial statements, that the attack may have been caused by bullying.
Recovered from the scene was a 9mm pistol used by the 14-year-old suspect, and a .38-caliber revolver used by the 15-year-old suspect.
One of the firearms, reportedly issued to a police officer relative, is now under investigation.
What is GoreBox?
GoreBox is an open-ended sandbox game developed by German independent game developer Felix Filip of F²Games (FF Games).
It includes elements such as weapons, environments, and physics systems to create or destroy scenarios, with a strong focus on realism and violent effects.
It was first released on Android devices on July 20, 2022, and was later made available on PC via the game distribution platform Steam on July 21, 2023.
GoreBox, like most open-ended sandbox games, has no fixed storyline or aim, as it relies on an open-world game style that allows players to create, destroy, and manipulate environments, as well as spawn and destroy objects or characters, using in-game weapons, explosives, and other related elements.
It is a free-to-download mobile game but limited only to Android devices (not available to iOS devices like iPhone and iPad), but a paid game with a one-time purchase fee on PC via Steam.
GoreBox’s official description on Google Play Store says it is “a chaotic physics-driven sandbox where creativity meets unrestrained destruction,” which allows users to “unleash your wildest ideas in an environment that puts ultimate power in your hands.”
It also endorses the game as one where the “only limit is your imagination.”
On face value, GoreBox shares similarities in terms of appearance and play style with other open-world sandbox games such as the globally popular Roblox and Minecraft, also widely used by a younger demographic of gamers.
In essence, GoreBox is an open-world game where players experiment with weapons, environments, and physics systems to create or destroy scenarios, with a strong focus on violence and gore.
