Most, if not all, of the fighting styles in that one MK game are real.
Anyways if you wanna learn anything you should at least give it a try. Unless you wanna train for something like MMA or competition you shouldn't let anyone decide for you. I wish I could have learned something when I was young but I don't think my parents would have spared money for anything that wasn't for school. My wish was to study and learn a vast amount of Martial Arts. Not just the technical and physical aspects of it but also the philosophy and ties to the country/culture.
Found the list;
http://www.earthrealm.com/deadlyalli...aracters.shtml