Philippines temporarily bans Gorebox app after Tacloban school shooting
The Philippines has temporarily blocked access to violent sandbox game Gorebox after a Tacloban area high school massacre left three students dead and 20 wounded. The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center ordered the restriction on June 24, citing an initial probe tying the 14-year-old suspect to the game. Three days earlier, two teen suspects stormed San Jose National High School in Tacloban City and, according to police, opened fire inside a classroom. The attack has since erupted into a national debate over youth gaming, online radicalization, whether violent titles can shape real-world behavior, and how easy it is for minors to get their hands on firearms.
What happened in Tacloban
On the morning of June 22, two students, aged 14 and 15, allegedly brought handguns inside a classroom at San Jose National High School and opened fire. Three students died at the scene or in the hospital. Twenty others were wounded. Philippine National Police spokesman Allan Rae Co said the pair had been bullied at school and that the suspects had holed up in a bathroom before the attack.
The 14-year-old allegedly fired a 9mm pistol belonging to his aunt, a policewoman who was suspended after the shooting. The 15-year-old used a .38 registered to his grandfather’s security agency. Police filed murder charges against the 15-year-old, who is now facing the courts. The 14-year-old is too young to be charged under Philippine juvenile law. He had also been posting violent content online and appeared to be “heavily influenced” by online material, Co said.
Why authorities are pointing to Gorebox
The 14-year-old suspect was a frequent player of Gorebox, according to police. Google Play markets the game as a place where players can “obliterate anything they desire” and “engage in brutal combat with an extensive arsenal of weapons and explosives.” The International Age Rating Coalition gave it an R18 rating because of extremely violent, explicit, and unrestrictive gameplay.
CICC undersecretary Aboy Paraiso said the temporary ban allows authorities to assess whether the platform played any role in the actions of the suspects. Scientific studies have not established a direct causal link between video games and violent behavior. But in Tacloban, police say the minor’s behavior fits a pattern of heavy online influence that preceded the shooting.
The deeper radicalization worry
What began as a narrow question about one game quickly widened into something more complicated. At a Senate hearing on July 1, lawmakers and cybersecurity experts described a global extremist network known as “764” that uses gaming platforms and encrypted apps to groom vulnerable children. The 14-year-old Tacloban suspect was allegedly being groomed through the Facebook account of a user named “Sedykh Ryazanov,” who instructed the teen to delete Discord, Reddit, and Telegram accounts after the shooting.
The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group said it has rescued 24 children from “The Community” ecosystem since October 2025. Five of those children had harmed themselves. Senator Risa Hontiveros warned that platforms have become “nests for brainwashing and radicalising our youth.”
What happens next
The Senate will craft recommendations covering gaming platforms, app stores, messaging apps, schools, and families. Senate President Win Gatchalian renewed his call to ban minors from social media and smartphones in schools.
The CICC has not said whether the Gorebox ban will become permanent. Cybersecurity experts cautioned that any block is only partial. Tech-savvy minors can use VPNs or alternate downloads to bypass restrictions, and groomers simply create new channels when old ones fall.
How parents and schools can respond
Tacloban is still recovering from Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. The new violence has jarred a city already used to hardship. Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte called for emergency security drills in schools and better protective protocols.
The takeaway for parents is concrete: monitor what minors play online, check age ratings before downloading, treat online friends like strangers on the street, and take signs of isolation or bullying seriously before they spiral into something worse. The Senate is expected to release a fuller report on online radicalization in the coming weeks.
Sources
BBC News, “Tacloban shooting: Philippines bans gaming app Gorebox played by teenage suspect,” June 24, 2026. The Straits Times, “Philippine school shooting shines light on global online extremist network targeting children,” July 1, 2026. Inquirer.net and ANC reporting via Yahoo News aggregator summaries referencing Senate hearing coverage and CICC statements, June-July 2026.
