Is using History for entertainment a bad idea ?

[Harmaceutical]

Yeah, but this is nothing new. Almost every one of Shakespeare's plays was based on a real historical figure, even though very little that takes place in those plays took place in real life. So, for over 400 years, people have been learning about "Henry V" without any real historical accuracy whatsover.

I have a degree in Roman Classics, which I can attribute directly to my love of Asterix comics as a child. I knew as a kid that they probably weren't really accurate, but they made me want to learn about the Romans. One of my friend's daughters is going throught the same thing with those children's books about the kid who is really the son of Zeus (sorry, can't remember the name). At Christmas she asked me if I still had my copy of Graves' "Greek and Roman Myths", because she wanted to find out more about the original stories.

So, this is certainly not a new issue, and certainly not one that is going away soon.

[hekokiyama]

I have a degree in Roman Classics, which I can attribute directly to my love of Asterix comics as a child. I knew as a kid that they probably weren't really accurate, but they made me want to learn about the Romans.

Are you kidding? Asterix are the epitomy of historical relevance!

I borrowed them all from someone on the Internet recently.

They're still great after all these years.

[Harmaceutical]

Are you kidding? Asterix are the epitomy of historical relevance!

I borrowed them all from someone on the Internet recently.

They're still great after all these years.

Oh, I know, I've bought them all again as an adult --in both French and English. Not only are they great in both languages, but the jokes are often completely different (including all the character names), but still funny in both languages.

[MechaCthulhu]

Two words:

BLACK ADDER.

Using history for entertainment is not only viable, but one of the best options.

End of discussion.

I should add that as with all entertainment, it's a matter of separating the wheat from the chaff.

[Zolbrod]

Two words:

BLACK ADDER.

Using history for entertainment is not only viable, but one of the best options.

End of discussion.

Insta-win.

[Ycare]

Humor is a different matter. We know from the beginning it is not serious. I love Black Adder and Asterix too, but I wouldn't even dare to think that any of this is based on true facts.

When on the other hands people don't make fun of History, and just change the story for their own purpose, that's where it bothers me.


And fair enough, yes, it's nothing new. BUT, the big difference now is that the media are almost instantly broadcasted everywhere in the world simultaneously, and continuously, drowning people under a sea of inaccuracies.

Before they were Shaskespeare, and then someone else, and then someone else, etc... but now it's all and everywhere at the same time, non stop...

Anyone seen Idiocracy ?

[hekokiyama]

Anyone seen Idiocracy ?

Not me, but I have seen XKCD

[345]

the plot of assassin's creed is so patently absurd that i don't have a problem with it - i kind of like the way it weaves in an alternate history to support its own idea.

tell me that any of the developers actually believe any of the wacky templar shit and i'll agree with this thread, mind.

[Sosaku]

Not really opposed to it but alot of it feels like a cheap exploitation for designers who lack the creativity and imagination to come up with their own stories, settings and characters. See Dante's Inferno and Genji as perfect examples.

In the case of Dante's Inferno it seems much less to do with genuine inspiration and more of a case of not having to pay any liscensing fees to use the story. It's got cool stuff in it and it's free. If the developers had any reverence or genuine respect for the work they'd have created something that had atleast some relevence to the original work. Not just a lazy exploitation of one of histories greatest literary classics.

So using history and literature as exploitation, no. Using it as genuine inspiration I see no problem with.

[Zolbrod]

In the case of Dante's Inferno it seems much less to do with genuine inspiration and more of a case of not having to pay any liscensing fees to use the story. It's got cool stuff in it and it's free. If the developers had any reverence or genuine respect for the work they'd have created something that had atleast some relevence to the original work. Not just a lazy exploitation of one of histories greatest literary classics.

This.
A thousand times this.

Not that I had any expectations of Dante's Inferno being a legitimate thought-provoking game (not with EA behind it), but the extreme lack of effort to even do ANYTHING with the source material is appalling.

THAT is what is wrong here.
Not simply people using historical works of literature as a base for their videogames or any other kind of fiction, it's the fact that they do NOTHING with it and just use it as an excuse to show as many tits and gore as possible.

Still, this is a problem I associate with EA.
It's nothing inherent to videogames.
A game based on Dante's Inferno could have been amazing, there's just no way in hand-sticking-out-of-vagina baby-spawning-boob Hell that EA is ever going to have anything to do with it.