Mortal Kombat — made by?

Made by: Midway; Ed Boon and John Tobias.

Mortal Kombat — how it played?

How it played: Digitized actors as fighters, a Fatality at the end of every match, and blood.

Arcade Files · 🥋 Beat-'em-ups & fighters

G33Z3R Arcade Files · 1992–1997

Why did Mortal Kombat cause a Senate hearing?

Mortal Kombat

Released: 1992
Made by: Midway; Ed Boon and John Tobias
How it played: Digitized actors as fighters, a Fatality at the end of every match, and blood
The fallout: The 1993 Senate hearings on video game violence led to the ESRB ratings system

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The file

Real actors photographed frame by frame, uppercuts that sprayed blood, and a finishing move you had to learn from the kid at the next cabinet. Mortal Kombat was the game parents heard about on the news.

The Fatality codes were traded like currency. The home versions in 1993 split into a censored Nintendo one and an uncensored Sega one, and the Sega one won. The ESRB exists because of this cabinet.

Sources: Wikipedia — Mortal Kombat (1992 video game)

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Why did Mortal Kombat cause a Senate hearing?

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Where was the Mortal Kombat machine in your town? Tell us about it.

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