When we talk about the biggest and best years in video game history, years like 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2007 typically steal the show. While all those years (and more) deserve to be included in that conversation, I find that 1992 rarely gets the love it deserves for the many ways that year’s biggest games changed the industry for the better.
It’s really fascinating that 1992 ended up being this incredible turning point for the industry.
3D Kicked Off the Blockbuster FPS Era
It’s difficult to overstate the impact of 3D. At a time when 3D gaming was little more than a gimmick, and 2D action titles were really just starting to hit their stride, 3D offered a 3D action experience that wasn’t only playable but faster, more intense, and more engaging than just about every other action game out there.
3D was an early example of that rare game that makes even non-gamers stop and stare. Its 3D technology was obviously limited, but watching someone navigate a 3D environment in a way that made sense was a truly powerful experience. It’s not that you couldn’t go back to 2D games that your expectations for what was possible, or even desirable, changed overnight. It was one thing for 3D to show game developers what was technically possible and quite a different accomplishment to convince millions of gamers that they no longer needed to be outright skeptical of 3D gaming as a concept
It’s also easy to forget the ways that 3D established the culture of FPS gaming so clearly and so early on. 3D was loud, violent, and relentless. Doom rightfully gets quite a bit of credit for its heavy metal attitude and style, but attitude helped establish the idea that the FPS genre was going to be the home of “edgier” game experiences for quite some time to come (for better or worse).
While you could argue that open-world games eventually replaced first-person shooters as the premiere blockbuster single-player experience, few games shaped the modern blockbuster gaming industry as significantly or clearly as 3D. It was an outsider project made by a team that dared to dream bigger than many major studios at the time and actually had the talent needed to pull their crazy ideas off.
Mortal Kombat Legitimized Violent Video Games and Started a Fighting Game Franchise War
I probably don’t need to tell you about the controversy that followed Mortal Kombat’s release. It garnered the attention of United States Senators (as well as the mainstream media) and is one of the biggest reasons why the was formed. Many words have been written about how Mortal Kombat contributed to that great moral panic over the so-called “corruption of youth.” It’s undoubtedly one of the most controversial games ever.
What doesn’t get talked about often enough, though, is how Mortal Kombat helped show that violent video games could not only be commercially viable but artistically worthwhile
The Mortal Kombat team didn’t necessarily dream of creating the most violent game ever. The more violent content (most notably MK’s fatalities) was gradually added to the title as its development evolved. The MK team has even suggested that some at Midway didn’t think players would discover fatalities in the that they only pushed the title more in that direction when they saw how positively fans reacted to those finishing moves.
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