Fight Games: The Thrill of the Kill

Julia Hardy delves into the world of fighting games like Street Fighter, Tekken and Mortal Kombat, and tries to answer the question - why do we just love beating each other up on screen?

Since the very first titles in the early arcade days, games that let us fight each other in a virtual world have been the backbone of the multi-billion pound gaming industry. With the most recent edition of Street Fighter now available, Julia Hardy takes a look at the genre that has caused joypads the world over to get mashed senseless for nearly four decades.

From scrappy pixels to beautifully life-like renderings of brutal slayings, Julia brings together a black-belt team of experts to look at the past, present and future, and explores the psychology behind our love of unleashing combos and virtual-hoofing our best mates with the perfect roundhouse.

Finally to get a verdict on the new game, Julia referees a gaming tournament between 1Xtra's Nick Bright and Radio 1's Dev. HADOUKEN! (Perfect)