Rated M for Mortal Kombat
Greetings and salutations! I’m glad to see you are back again for some video game facts. Today’s topic is one that most people might already know, but if you didn’t, then you’re welcome!
The year was 1992, and Mortal Kombat was hitting homes and arcades everywhere. This fighting game was different than other things you’d see on the market at the time, because Mortal Kombat had things like blood, violence, nudity and strong language. These things may not be anything in the standards of today, but back then it was the black sheep of video games, and boy did people LOVE that sheep.
Among a few other titles, Mortal Kombat caused public outcry as people began to think that the game was obscene and not fit for the general public. While Mortal Kombat was far from the first game to cause issues like this in the industry, it was a tipping point which brought the case of video game ratings to the attention of the United States government. Starting in 1992, companies began to create their own form of video game rating system before congress announced the Entertainment Software Rating Board in 1994. Made to be a group that would make unbiased ratings for games, the ESRB became the official video game rating system in North America.
As you might have expected, Mortal Kombat became the first ever game in history to receive the rated M for Mature title in gaming history. This however did not halt the game’s immense popularity, and may have in fact contributed to its rise into gaming’s hall of fame. Since then, Mortal Kombat has spawned quite a selection of sequels and spin-offs, movies and a great deal of other titles that follow the same formula.
Now when you look back at when your mom wouldn’t let you have a certain game because it was too violent, you know just who to thank.
I want to hear from you! Did you think that Mortal Kombat deserved to be the first game ever rated M? Do you think there was a different game that deserved that title? Did you ever play Mortal Kombat back in the day? Let me know!
Thanks for stopping by and I’ll smell ya later!
