MANILA, Philippines — The German developer of online game “GoreBox” has declined an invitation to attend an upcoming Senate probe on Monday’s shooting incident at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban.
Felix Filip of F2Games, an independent game developer based in Germany, informed the Senate committee secretariat via email that he would not join the July 1 hearing, whether in person or virtually.
Filip expressed condolences to the families of the students killed in the school shooting launched by two minors aged 14 and 15, who are reportedly players of the game.
“Before anything else, I want to express my sincere condolences to the families of the victims, to the students and staff of San Jose National High School and to the wider community in Tacloban City. What happened on 22 June is a profound tragedy, and those affected by it deserve to be at the center of this matter,” he said in an email, a screenshot of which was sent by Sen. Risa Hontiveros’ office.
Filip, describing himself as an “independent game developer in Germany,” said he declined the invitation “after careful consideration.”
He told the committee that the game he developed is not “intended” to be played by minors.
“I appreciate the committee’s attention to the safety of young people, and I am grateful for your understanding of my decision,” Filip said.
“I would respectfully note only, for the committee’s record, that GoreBox is classified 18+ and is not intended for, or directed at, minors,” he added.
On its Google Play and Steam pages, GoreBox is described as “a chaotic, physics-driven sandbox game where creativity meets unrestrained destruction…” with “an intense gore system that brings dismemberment to life.”
Hontiveros, who is set to lead the probe expressed disappointment with Filip, but vowed to seek help from the German embassy in the Philippines to compel his attendance.
“It is disappointing that Mr. Filip chose not to attend our upcoming hearing, especially since I would have liked to learn a lot from him in person,” Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros lamented the German developer’s refusal to hold himself accountable for the deaths in the Tacloban school shooting incident, adding that the committee only wanted to know if the minors were “groomed” or “radicalized” to espouse violence while playing the game.
“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,” Hontiveros said. — Emmanuel Tupas, EJ Macababbad