Upon its premiere in 1992, Midway's Mortal Kombat spawned an enormously influential series of fighting games, notorious for their violent "fatality" moves performed by photorealistically rendered characters. Targeted by lawmakers and moral reformers, the series directly inspired the creation of an industrywide rating system for video games and became a referendum on the wide popularity of 16-bit home consoles. Along the way, it became one of the world's most iconic fighting games, and a transmedia franchise that continues to this day. This book traces Mortal Kombat's history as an American product inspired by both Japanese video games and Chinese martial-arts cinema, its successes and struggles in adapting to new market trends, and the ongoing influence of its secret-strewn narrative world. After outlining the specific elements of gameplay that differentiated Mortal Kombat from its competitors in the coin-op market, David Church examines the various martial-arts films that inspired its Orientalist imagery, helping explain its stereotypical uses of race and gender. He also posits the games as a cultural landmark from a moment when public policy attempted to intervene in both the remediation of cinematic aesthetics within interactive digital games and in the transition of public gaming spaces into the domestic sphere. Finally, the book explores how the franchise attempted to conquer other forms of media in the 1990s, lost ground to a new generation of 3D games in the 2000s, and has successfully rebooted itself in the 2010s to reclaim its legacy.

A competitive collection of fun games to pit kids against adults.

For the first time, the collected texts from the critically and commercially acclaimed fantasy video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are bound together in three exciting volumes. Lavishly illustrated and produced, these titles are straight out of the world of Skyrim - and a must for any wandering adventurer.

Master the exhilarating game of Mahjong with this introductory guide. This complete, easy-to-follow instructional Mahjong handbook includes over 150 full-color photographs and illustrations to introduce players to this captivating game. This is the first Mahjong book to cover the Cantonese or "old rules" game fully. It also includes all of the most popular variations, such as the Shanghai game, the 16-tile or Taiwanese game, and the 12-tile game. Included are the rules, tactics, techniques, strategy and the rituals only the most experienced players know. This Mahjong book includes: Easy-to-follow instructions Full-color illustrations and photographs Instruction on: Authentic Chinese Mahjong play Cantonese Mahjong play Shanghai Mahjong play American Mahjong play The 12-tile versions of the game The Complete Book of Mah Jong is the perfect guide for all skill levels to learn the different styles of Mahjong--from Mahjong beginners to pros.