Roblox has removed the account of the 18-year-old suspect in a deadly school shooting in British Columbia after it emerged he had created a mass shooting simulator on the gaming platform. The simulator, set in a virtual shopping mall, allowed users to pick up weapons and shoot other players, according to a report by 404 Media.
The suspect, identified by Canadian police as Jesse Van Rootselaar, killed nine people including himself in Tumbler Ridge, a small coalmining community, on Wednesday. The victims included a teacher, five students, the suspect's mother and her stepbrother. The suspect, who reportedly had a history of mental health issues, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Roblox said in a statement: 'We have removed the user account connected to this horrifying incident as well as any content associated with the suspect. We are committed to fully supporting law enforcement in their investigation.' The company added that the 'Mall experience' was only accessible through Roblox Studio, a separate app for developers, and recorded just seven visits.
The attack is one of Canada's deadliest school shootings since the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre. The incident has reignited debate about the link between violent video games and real-world violence, though large studies have found at most a small correlation. However, experts note a growing trend of 'gamified violence', where extremists adopt elements of video game design in attacks.
