How Mortal Kombat Changed the Gaming World – Elementary

General English

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

Level: ElementaryTime: 60 minFocus: Dependent Prepositions

TEXT:

📋 Overview

1Warmer

2Key Words

3Comprehension

4Key Language

5Discussion

6In Your Own Words

The Guardian · 03 Nov 2025

HIGHLIGHT:

Gaming & Culture

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

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

Keith Stuart03 November, 2025

1In December 1993, a U.S. senator named Joe Lieberman spoke in a government meeting about the violence in video games, especially the fighting game Mortal Kombat. In that game, the player can hurt the opponent in very violent ways, like pulling off a head or taking out a heart.

2Lieberman wanted the game industry to make a ratings system to stop young children from buying violent games. That government meeting created his rating system, but in addition to the system, it also started a moral panic about video game violence. The arcade version of Mortal Kombat came out in 1992, and the home console release in 1993 made people worry more.

3Now, those early games seem simple and old-fashioned. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection includes the first four games in the series. The digital visual effects, created by videoing actors and turning that video into animation, look low-quality now. As a result of this animation, the infamous "fatalities", or special killing moves, now look funny instead of scary.

4The company Midway first wanted to make a game with the action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, but when that didn't work, the two creators, Ed Boon and John Tobias, decided to make a new fighting game to compete with Street Fighter II. They wanted to make a game like "the MTV version of Street Fighter," with fast action and a lot of blood. Their boss told them to get even more extreme.

5The moral panic around Mortal Kombat in the early 1990s was similar to parents worrying about violent movies in the 1980s. But owing to this panic, Mortal Kombat became a huge success and it sold millions of copies.

6On top of fear making it successful, Mortal Kombat also became part of the "console wars" too. Sega allowed players to use a secret code to see all the blood. Nintendo, however, removed the blood to look more family-friendly. Of course, it was the Sega version that sold more.

7Since then, many games have been blamed for harming young people, such as Doom, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, and even Fortnite. But Lieberman's speech about Mortal Kombat is still remembered.

8After this moment, the video game industry changed. Games began to focus more on teens and adults, with more action and realistic graphics. Midway's choices helped shape modern games.

📋

Lesson Overview

About This Lesson

This article explains the historical importance of Mortal Kombat and how it created a whole new market for video games.

Level: Elementary (A2)
Skills: Reading, Speaking
Language Focus: Dependent prepositions (on top of, owing to, as a result of, in addition to)
Time: 60 minutes
Activities: Key words (definitions + fill-in) · Comprehension T/F with correction · Key language: dependent prepositions · Discussion · Personal writing task

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Warmer

Discuss these questions in pairs.

Why do young people often want to do what they are told not to do?

Name some moments when young people do the 'wrong thing' for fun.

Which products are marketed at young people looking for the 'wrong thing' to do?

Key Words

a. Match the correct word to each definition

Find the words (in bold) in the article to read them in context. Some words may appear in a different form in the article.

fightarcadeextremeconsoleindustryversionmoral panicopponentviolenceshape

an electronic device used to play video games —

very large in amount or degree —

to use physical force to try to defeat someone —

a place with many coin-operated games you can play —

all the companies involved in a particular type of business —

a strong fear that something is dangerous for society —

one form of something that is a little different from other forms of the same thing —

action that hurts people or damages things —

the person or team you are playing against —

10.

to influence the way that something develops —

Answer Key (a):

console
extreme
fight
arcade
industry
moral panic
version
violence
opponent
shape

b. Complete the sentences

Complete the sentences with words from part a.

1.Some parents worry about there being too much in video games.

2.I play video games with the family on my new at home.

3.I downloaded the new of the game because it has better graphics.

4.Some games have scenes, with fast action and big explosions.

5.In this game, you the biggest enemy to win the level.

6.There was a(n) when people thought games were too violent.

7.We all went to the to play old games like racing and shooting games.

8.This game helped the way that all modern games are made today.

9.The video game makes millions of games every year.

10.In each round, you must beat your to move on.

Answer Key (b):

violence
console
version
extreme
fight
moral panic
arcade
shape
industry
opponent

Comprehension Check

Are these sentences True or False according to the article? For False sentences, write the correction in the box.

Joe Lieberman talked about violence in video games in 1983.

Correction:

Mortal Kombat first came out on home consoles, not in arcades.

Correction:

Lieberman wanted a rating system to stop young children from buying violent games.

Correction:

The old Mortal Kombat games look simple and old today.

Correction:

Midway wanted to make a game with Jean-Claude Van Damme at first.

Correction:

Nintendo kept the blood in its version of Mortal Kombat.

Correction:

The worry about Mortal Kombat helped the game become very popular.

Correction:

Mortal Kombat helped change the video game industry.

Correction:

Answer Key:

False – He spoke in December 1993, not 1983.
False – The arcade version came out first (1992), the home console version came out in 1993.
True
True
True
False – Nintendo removed the blood. It was Sega that kept it.
True
True

Key Language: Dependent Prepositions

a. Expressions from the article

Read these four sentences from the article. The expressions in bold are dependent prepositions. Complete the table showing whether each expression gives a reason or adds extra information.

On top of fear making it successful, Mortal Kombat became part of the 'console wars' too.

But owing to this panic, Mortal Kombat became a huge success and it sold millions of copies.

As a result of this animation, the infamous 'fatalities' now look funny instead of scary.

In addition to the system, it also started a moral panic about video game violence.

Expression	Gives a reason / cause	Adds extra information
on top of
owing to
as a result of
in addition to

Answer Key (a):

on top of → adds extra information ✓
owing to → gives a reason ✓
as a result of → gives a reason ✓
in addition to → adds extra information ✓

b. Complete the sentences

Complete each sentence with the correct expression from part a.

1. its simple controls, the game is easy for beginners.

2. playing games, I also like watching gaming videos online.

3. my console, I play games on my phone, too.

4. playing too long, I felt tired.

5. good graphics, this game also has fun characters.

6. the long update, I had to wait before I could play.

7. the new controls, the game now runs better.

8. the main story, the game has many mini-games, too.

Answer Key (b):

In addition to
On top of
In addition to
As a result of
On top of
Owing to
As a result of
In addition to

Discussion

Discuss these statements in pairs or small groups. Do you agree or disagree?

🎮

Video games should be for everyone, no matter how violent they are.

🚫

There is no positive way to use video games.

In Your Own Words

Think of something you did as a child that was considered dangerous by your parents. Write notes below, then share your story with a group.

a. Write your notes

The activity / movie or game:

When you did it:

Why parents worried about it:

How it impacted you:

Do you agree it was dangerous?

b. Tell your group

Use your notes to tell your group about the 'scare' of your childhood.

c. Class discussion

Are any of your experiences similar? Did the same things worry your parents?

💬 Useful Language

When I was young, I used to … / My parents didn't want me to …

Owing to their worry, I … / As a result of this, I …

On top of that, … / In addition to this, …

Looking back, I think … / Now I understand why …