28/07/2026
๐๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ | ๐ท๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ป๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐
A click here. A tap there. Nowadays, our everyday lives revolve around the internet, with social media being accessible almost anywhere. However, with accessibility comes riskโthe risk of exploring restricted sites. But what happens when these sites are misused? This concern became prominent in the case of the Tacloban school shooting, where it was alleged that one of the students had played the game GoreBox, leading many to speculate that it may have influenced the unfortunate incident. However, no conclusive evidence has established the game as the actual or primary cause of what happened.
The question is, who should be held accountable? Could it be the guardians? The students? The game itself? Or is responsibility shared among multiple factors? Each of these possibilities deserves careful consideration, as every one of them may have played a role in the dreadful outcome.
First, the guardians or parents. They cannot be fully blamed because they cannot always be there for their child. They have their own dilemmas both inside and outside the houseโbudgeting for their family, work-related problems, and many other responsibilities. Taking care of a child only adds to those burdens. Still, raising that child is their responsibility. Tragedies like this could have been prevented through proper guidance and consistent nurturing. Values always begin at home. What a child sees, hears, and experiences can shape their character and remain with them as they grow. This is why the way parents raise their children plays a significant role in the choices they eventually make.
Second, the students themselves. This perspective is often overlooked, even though it is critical to the situation, because many people tend to blame either the parents or the game. However, it must also be recognized that the students made the conscious decision to plan and carry out the attack. Yes, they may have had reasons for doing so, but were those reasons justifiable? No. One alleged motive was bullying, yet simple name-calling can never justify resorting to violence. This incident demonstrates how bullying, if left unaddressed, can escalate into something far more serious and serves as a lesson for schools to strengthen efforts in preventing similar situations. Another alleged motive was merely to scare other students. But if the intention was only to frighten them, why did it escalate into an actual shooting? This raises serious doubts about that claim and suggests that the violence may have been intentional from the very beginning.
Lastly, there is the most discussedโbut not necessarily the primaryโfactor: the online game GoreBox. Many speculate that the game is responsible because one of the shooters reportedly played it. While exposure to violent or mature content can influence certain individuals, it should not automatically be considered the main reason behind the tragedy. Once again, attention is often directed toward online platforms without examining the bigger picture. GoreBox was never designed for minors like the students involved. They should not have been playing it in the first place, and that responsibility falls on those who allowed or chose to access it, not solely on the game itself. If the game alone were the primary cause, then why are countless other players not committing similar crimes? Clearly, other underlying factors contributed to the incident. Therefore, placing all the blame on the game would be an oversimplification.
In today's generation, almost everything is accessible with just a few taps. As convenient as that may be, it also comes with countless risks. The dangers of the internet cannot be completely avoided, but they can be recognized and managed through responsible choices. The internet may be a silent battlefield, but every individual still has the power to choose how to navigate it. Freedom should always be paired with integrity, responsibility, and good judgment, because every choice carries a consequence. The choice is always oursโnever theirs, never from others.
๐จ: Rhovielle Therese R. Gonzaga
