When Democrats Engaged in ‘Mortal Kombat’

With a new installment in the Mortal Kombat movie series set for nationwide release in early May, now is an ideal time to revisit the franchise’s origins and the role it played in one of America’s early culture wars. What began in 1992 as an arcade fighting game quickly became a cultural flashpoint, igniting fierce debates about violence, censorship, and the influence of video games on youth. The game’s graphic fatalities and unapologetic gore sparked the first major salvo in the culture war over video game content, most notably by pitting Democrats like the late Senator Joe Lieberman against the burgeoning gaming industry in congressional hearings.