GoreBox, a physics-based sandbox game that encourages players to create chaotic combat scenarios using firearms, explosives and customizable characters, has become the focus of a Senate investigation following the fatal school shooting in Tacloban City and a series of violent incidents involving minors across the Philippines.

The game was temporarily restricted in the country after police disclosed that one of the two teenage suspects in the 22 June shooting at San Jose National High School was an avid GoreBox player. The attack left three students dead and several others injured.

The Philippine National Police has clarified that investigators have not concluded that the game directly caused the violence. Instead, authorities are examining whether GoreBox, together with other online platforms, may have exposed minors to violent content or facilitated interactions that encouraged extremist behavior.

Developed by German programmer Felix Filip, GoreBox is marketed on the Steam gaming platform as an action sandbox where players are free to create virtually any scenario they can imagine.

Unlike traditional story-driven games, GoreBox has no campaign or fixed objectives. Instead, players are given tools to build maps, spawn human-like ragdoll characters known as "GoreDolls," and interact with them using an arsenal of firearms, melee weapons and explosives.

Central to the gameplay is the "Reality Crusher," a tool that allows users to create, manipulate or destroy nearly every object or character in the game.

Players can also enable creator mode, invincibility or noclip, allowing unrestricted movement around maps while experimenting with physics-based interactions.

According to its Steam description, "the limits are only bound by your imagination."

The game also features online multiplayer, voice and text chat, character customization, item trading and a built-in workshop where players can create and share custom maps.

Although GoreBox carries an age rating of 18 and above and is not marketed toward children, Philippine authorities are examining whether its safeguards are sufficient to prevent minors from accessing its content.

The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, has summoned Filip to explain the game's age-verification measures, content moderation policies and protections against minors being exposed to violent material.

In an email sent to the committee, Filip declined the invitation to attend the 1 July hearing either physically or virtually.

He argued that the investigation should focus on the victims rather than on him and emphasized that GoreBox "is not intended for, or directed at, minors."

Hontiveros rejected the explanation, saying companies that operate in the Philippines and profit from Filipino users have a responsibility to cooperate with government investigations.

"Any developer or online company that wants to operate here, profit from Filipino users, and reach Filipino children must respect our laws and our institutions," she said, adding that she would seek assistance from the German Embassy to facilitate Filip's participation.

The Tacloban case is not the first time online gaming platforms have come under scrutiny.

During an earlier Senate hearing in April, the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group disclosed that investigators had uncovered online extremist activities involving gaming platforms such as Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, Call of Duty and Free Fire.

Authorities also cited a foiled mass shooting plot involving students in Calamba, Laguna, who were allegedly recruited through Roblox before conversations shifted to private messaging applications.

Law enforcement agencies stressed that games themselves are not necessarily responsible for violent behavior but may become avenues for radicalization, recruitment or exposure to harmful communities if left unmoderated.

The temporary restriction on GoreBox will remain in place while Philippine authorities evaluate whether additional safeguards for minors are necessary.