The recent school shooting incident in Tacloban has people questioning again, do video games cause violence in the Philippines?
The question has been asked for decades. And the June 22, 2026 school shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City reignited the debate on whether video games contribute to violence. Police has indicated that the violent mobile game GoreBox may have influenced the incident, prompting scrutiny of the evidence surrounding the video game-violence link before assigning blame.
The Short Answer
No. Scientific research does not support the claim that video games directly cause criminal violence or mass shootings. Rather than digital entertainment, the evidence points more toward complex social factors.
In the specific context of whether do video games cause violence, authorities have identified that the motives in major cases are rooted in complex social issues like bullying and radicalization rather than exposure to games. There are even research from institutions that show no reliably causal link between violent game content and actual physical violence and criminal acts. These institutions include the Oxford University, the Max Planck Institute, and the American Psychological Association (APA).
But the Tacloban Shooting Changed the Conversation
Our hearts broke for the community of San Jose National High School in Tacloban City when the shooting incident claimed the lives of three students with others left wounded. Two suspects were quickly apprehended; two minors aged 14 and 15. In the aftermath, police has flagged that one of the suspects had been playing GoreBox, a violent sandbox game. This has led to a debate online about our gaming habits. While it is easy to point at a screen, we need to recognize that the real problem is far more complicated than just blaming a piece of software.
The GoreBox Question
While the GoreBox was mentioned by the police, they have also cited that school bullying may be the motive. But the claim is now being disputed. PNP spokesperson Colonel Allen Rae Co clarified that the bullying claim is still unverified, while DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara expressed that he is not convinced it was just about being teased. Police has also confirmed that the attack was actually premeditated as early as May 1. This suggests deep-seated social factors were at play.
The Department of Justice is now investigating the possibility of Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE). While police initially flagged one of the suspect played GoreBox, the real concern isn’t the game content itself, but the online grooming pipelines that may exist in communities around these games. It’s the group chats and social lobbies where extremist narratives can fester that’s the actual danger to our youth.
It’s Not the Same for Every Generation
Gaming has also evolved significantly since we were kids, and we have to understand that. For many of us Millennials, gaming was a solo experience with cartridges and CDs which then later adapted online. But for Gen Alpha, gaming is a full extension of their online identity. Today, a staggering 94% of Gen Alpha are game enthusiasts, dedicating about 22% of their total entertainment time to gaming. They watch streamers, join Discord servers, and form their primary social circles entirely online. For them, the risk isn’t the simulated violence; it’s how deeply embedded they are in online communities that can sometimes be dangerous without proper guidance.
What the Research Actually Says
The data from researchers consistently show that the “video games cause violence” argument just doesn’t hold up. Oxford University have found no causal link between violent games and real-world aggression. The Max Planck Institute conducted a study where participants played Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) daily for two months and found zero increase in aggressive behavior or loss of empathy. The APA has also clarified that while there might be a tiny association with minor behaviors like yelling, there is insufficient evidence to link games to actual crime. There is also a 2024 eLife study which confirmed that even in intense violent gaming, it doesn’t reduce our natural empathy.
The Real Conversation We Should Be Having
Instead of making video games the scapegoat, we need to address the actual drivers of youth violence: social isolation, online radicalization, and the proliferation of unlicensed firearms. In the Tacloban case, the 14-year old suspect have managed to get a 9mm pistol from his police officer aunt. That is a terrifying real-world failure we cannot ignore. It was also revealed that the suspects were aware of the Juvenile Justice Act, and believed they would face no jail time because they are minors.
For Gen Alpha, the solution should not be banning games, but pushing for digital safety education, better parental awareness of online communities, gun access reform, and stronger anti-bullying programs. At the end of the day, video games don’t create monsters; they give us a place to be heroes, but it’s our real-world support systems that determine who we actually become.