Local game developers oppose Roblox ban; want targeted measures

MANILA Philippines — An association of local game creators on Saturday firmly opposed a total ban on Roblox, an online gaming platform, in the country, arguing that abusers targeting children would still have access to other online spaces.

In a statement released on Saturday, the Filipino Roblox Developers Association (FRDA) called for a “more targeted response” and stronger measures instead of banning the entire platform. The association said many users who are not involved in criminal acts would be affected.

“Even if investigators eventually establish strong evidence that harmful influence can be traced to Roblox, banning the entire platform would still only close one door. It would not stop bad actors from trying other online spaces where children are present,” the FRDA said.

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READ: Remulla claims Zamboanga shooter may have been influenced by Roblox

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This statement came as Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that the junior high school perpetrator in the Zamboanga school shooting last Aug. 18 may have been influenced by Roblox, a game that was previously linked to incidents of online child exploitation.

The FRDA said Roblox is hosting multiple servers, thus, the appropriate response must only target a “particular feature, community, communication channel, or experience” and not the entire website.

“Before imposing a measure that broad, we believe the public deserves to see the evidence supporting it and understand exactly where the safety failure occurred,” it added.

The association further rejected Remulla’s claim that the 14-year-old perpetrator, who had been recording the attack on his Facebook live, may have been copying a first-person point of view (POV) shooter game.

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READ: Game developers: Parents not to blame on child online security

“A first-person POV is also a natural way to record, especially when someone is filming alone,” the FRDA said.

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“Since Secretary Remulla himself said the student acted on his own, this could just as reasonably explain why the footage was captured that way. That similarity alone does not establish that he was trying to emulate a first-person shooter game,” it added.

The FRDA maintained that their call is not to “ignore the risk” but to get a clearer picture of the evidence linking Roblox to the incident.

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“If the government can show us where the gap is, we are ready to help close it,” it said. /jpv