In 1993, US Senator Joe Lieberman sparked a congressional hearing on video game violence, targeting Mortal Kombat, a popular fighting game released on Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The senator claimed that the game's "blood splatters from contestants' heads" was too violent for minors to play.
However, it seems that this particular example of "video nasty" hype doesn't quite match up with how we feel about Mortal Kombat today. The original 1992 arcade version featured digitized visuals created by filming actors performing martial arts moves and was released in 1993 after a successful run on the arcades. A recent release, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, offers an anthology of the first four games, along with spin-offs for handheld platforms.
Released during this period, Mortal Kombat became infamous due to its "fatalities" - death moves that are both gory and amusing. The game's creators wanted something similar to Capcom's Street Fighter II, but a competitor that was inspired by the violence found in martial arts films like Bloodsport and Terminator. It's clear that they wanted an MTV version of the fighting game.
Mortal Kombat went on to become one of the biggest-selling games during the Christmas season of 1993, shifting six million copies across multiple platforms. The controversy surrounding it had a profound effect on the gaming industry as it led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board and other measures aimed at regulating video content.
The game was released in different versions for various consoles, with some featuring "fatalities" while others were toned down due to pressure from Nintendo. Regardless, Mortal Kombat has remained a popular franchise that continues to adapt and evolve over time.
Since then, many gaming franchises have been the subject of similar moral panics, including Doom, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, and Fortnite. However, the controversy surrounding Mortal Kombat remains an interesting footnote in gaming history - it was during this period when the industry shifted towards more mature themes and violent content that appealed to older gamers.
In a way, Mortal Kombat represents a turning point for the games business, as it showed what could be done with more mature themes and graphic violence.
However, it seems that this particular example of "video nasty" hype doesn't quite match up with how we feel about Mortal Kombat today. The original 1992 arcade version featured digitized visuals created by filming actors performing martial arts moves and was released in 1993 after a successful run on the arcades. A recent release, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, offers an anthology of the first four games, along with spin-offs for handheld platforms.
Released during this period, Mortal Kombat became infamous due to its "fatalities" - death moves that are both gory and amusing. The game's creators wanted something similar to Capcom's Street Fighter II, but a competitor that was inspired by the violence found in martial arts films like Bloodsport and Terminator. It's clear that they wanted an MTV version of the fighting game.
Mortal Kombat went on to become one of the biggest-selling games during the Christmas season of 1993, shifting six million copies across multiple platforms. The controversy surrounding it had a profound effect on the gaming industry as it led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board and other measures aimed at regulating video content.
The game was released in different versions for various consoles, with some featuring "fatalities" while others were toned down due to pressure from Nintendo. Regardless, Mortal Kombat has remained a popular franchise that continues to adapt and evolve over time.
Since then, many gaming franchises have been the subject of similar moral panics, including Doom, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, and Fortnite. However, the controversy surrounding Mortal Kombat remains an interesting footnote in gaming history - it was during this period when the industry shifted towards more mature themes and violent content that appealed to older gamers.
In a way, Mortal Kombat represents a turning point for the games business, as it showed what could be done with more mature themes and graphic violence.
I mean, Mortal Kombat was literally seen as this extreme "video nasty" back in the day, but honestly, it's just kinda funny now. Like, who knew that a game about throwing your opponents off cliffs could be so iconic? 
And can you even imagine playing it on the original arcade machine? 
It's crazy to think that it was actually super popular and sold six million copies back in '93! 
The whole thing with Nintendo being all like "nope, we're not having any part of that" is just wild too. But for real though, Mortal Kombat paved the way for some of these more mature gaming franchises that we love today... it's kinda cool to see how they've evolved (or not, depending on how you look at it). 
i mean, think about it... the whole 'mortal kombat is too violent for kids' thing seems super outdated now. like, we're all watching terminator movies and bloodsport without batting an eye. and yet, the game got banned in some countries back then. 
what really changed? was it just that gaming became more popular and there were more people to be concerned about? or was it something else? i mean, i've seen these old footage of the original mortal kombat games and they're actually pretty tame compared to some of the games we play today... 
and it actually kinda worked, right? The game sold like 6 million copies and paved the way for more mature themes in games 
. And let's be real, who hasn't seen someone do a "fatality" on their friend in a gaming session 
. But at the same time, it feels like some of those "mature themes" are still just excuses for lazy storytelling or poor game design 
. Anyway, Mortal Kombat's legacy lives on 
. Mortal Kombat was just a symptom of the gaming industry evolving, not the cause of it 
.
. I think what's cool is how it paved the way for more mature themes in games - we're living in a time where games are so much more realistic and intense 
. Anyway, I'm just glad that we've come to accept more mature content in games and can enjoy them without all the fuss 
.
. And, boy, did they deliver!
. I guess it was a necessary step for the industry to take, but still... who knew gaming could be so influential on pop culture?