Is using History for entertainment a bad idea ?

[Ycare]

Not me, but I have seen XKCD

Well watch the movie, 1- because it's funny, 2- because it's inspiringly funny.

[deviantstares]

Surprised no one has brought up comic books as a common ground most of us share that has exploited the same tactics.

The ACII stuff didn't bother me as much as it was not titled "Italian History: The Game" but the Dante's Inferno does put me off as it uses the title, perhaps "Inferno" would have been more apt. Though I haven't played anything except the demo, the devs and marketing behind the game selling it as paying homage to the book is also irritating. If they said the set pieces and idea of the game stemmed from the novel then it would be a different story.

So using history as entertainment isn't a bad idea per se, it's the ignorant masses that quote it for truth, assuming that the majority of the world is made of ignorant people.

edit: just read Zol and Sosaku's posts. reflect my feelings as well.

[Ycare]

So using history as entertainment isn't a bad idea per se, it's the ignorant masses that quote it for truth, assuming that the majority of the world is made of ignorant people.

Absolutely, totally with you on that.
BUT, it's easier to avoid stupidities to be spread around than having to educate everyone about what's true and what's not.

In the end I don't care, having people quoting Dan Brown or others helps me understanding how retarded my interlocutor is, but it just pisses me off having to explain continuously that all they took as facts was actually just fiction.

Mind you I'm not omnipotent and I might make mistakes myself sometimes, which then pisses me off even more, realizing I was fooled by what I assumed to be "general knowledge".

[hekokiyama]

Absolutely, totally with you on that.
BUT, it's easier to avoid stupidities to be spread around than having to educate everyone about what's true and what's not.

In the end I don't care, having people quoting Dan Brown or others helps me understanding how retarded my interlocutor is, but it just pisses me off having to explain continuously that all they took as facts was actually just fiction.

I offended a close friend of mine once when talking about Dan Brown. I mentioned how I liked the idea behind the story of Da Vinci Code, but I didn't like the writing. He said, "But it all comes from history. It says so on the front page."

I though he was joking, so I basically made fun of everyone who believed that. He gave me a sad look and didn't talk to me for months.