How Mortal Kombat (and moral panic) changed the gaming world

Moral panic Mortal Kombat sparked widespread controversy on its release. Moral panic Mortal Kombat sparked widespread controversy on its release. On its release in 1993, Midway's gore-filled fighting game ushered in a new era of hyperviolent gaming that continues to influence the industry to this day O n 9 December 1993, Democratic senator Joe Lieberman sat before a congressional hearing on video game violence and told attendees that the video game industry had crossed a line. The focus of his ire was Mortal Kombat, Midway's bloody fighting game, recently released on the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System after a successful run in the arcades. "Blood splatters from the contestants' heads," he told the room. "The game narrator instructs the player to finish his opponent.