Philippine town closes all ‘Pisonet’ computer rental shops in wake of school shooting — incident blamed on violent video games, shops closed ‘for the safety of the youth’
Dagupan City, located in northern Philippines and about 100 miles north of Metro Manila, just banned all “Pisonet” computer rental shops in the town. According to the Mayor’s Facebook Post, the city passed an ordinance banning these establishments and others that offer computer rental services “for the safety of the youth.” She alleged that these shops “distract students from their studies, make them waste their time, and even lead a few to situations of abuse and other dangers.” The move comes a week after a school shooting incident in central Philippines resulted in three student deaths and 15 more receiving injuries, two of which were critical, an event that has been linked to video game violence.
“Pisonet,” a portmanteau of “Piso,” which stands for one Peso, and “net” for internet, are affordable computer rental shops that allow anyone, both young and old, to rent a computer to play games and access the internet. These establishments are crucial for many families who still do not have access to a computer inside their home. Many young people also use these services to play online games with their friends. However, the school shooting incident, which was perpetrated by kids aged 14 and 15, put these shops in the limelight, especially as many adults have started to blame violent computer games for the incident.
Senator Risa Hontiveros is spearheading an investigation looking into the shooting, and it was discovered that one of the perpetrators was allegedly addicted to the violent game Gorebox. While the Senator did not blame the title for causing the violence, she was concerned that extremists are using them as platforms to “brainwash and radicalize children.”
Other experts agree with Hontiveros, with cybersecurity analyst Art Samaniego Jr. telling local newspaper PhilStar that the authorities “should look more closely at the online communities and networks that may have urged the young suspects to commit violence.” Unfortunately, many members of the general public have begun concluding that it was the video game that directly caused the perpetrators to become violent, not the other people who are targeting vulnerable youths playing the game.
Because of this investigation, Gorebox has been temporarily banned from the Philippines, with both Google and Steam taking it down from the Philippine versions of the platforms. Despite that, these remain easily accessible through proxy networks and VPNs. Although the Dagupan City council did not directly link the shutdown of Pisonet shops within their jurisdiction, the decision and the move came so close to the incident that one cannot help but think that they are related.
