Bret Devereaux

next q is abt #TTRPGs and if #DnD can introduce preconceptions (and can GMs shape these perceptions) - answer: they already do. Pitch-perfect accuracy for GMs/hist. fiction authors isn't expected, but critical thought about meaning and "responsible narrative" should be.

Q: how should pop hist. media deal with challenging historical misconceptions and malexpectations - e.g. diverse Middle Ages, "Lions led by donkeys" in WW1, etc. A: prioritize getting the history right over popular discourse, and be gracious around good-faith imperfections

Q: is "Impartial benevolence" in EUIV possible? i.e. being pacifist, minimizing colonization/enslavement, etc. A: yes, but it is deeply suboptimal.

Q: "ViOlEnT ViDeOgAmEs" is discourse - are there thoughts about how impactful high-fidelity games can be on behavior? A: little evidence that there is *any* influence on behavior. but, narratives can have impact and thought is required on what arguments the game makes.

Q: were there any ancient states that disliked violence, or is that truly a result of increasing casualties in 19th/20th c? A: Roman attitudes towards war changes during civil wars! reiterates argument that states' calculus changes with industrialization.

Q: games, war, and diversity - do games/pop media reflect increasing cognizance of historical diversity? A: games are modern products of modern discourses. EU IV is better than Empire: Total War, though still flawed. Games struggle with non-state peoples/bad assumptions.

bonus: Criticism can "defang" bad histories by identifying what elements should be disregarded (e.g. *300*'s Spartans fighting for democracy with 80% of population enslaved). but bad histories are powerful and persuasive, and so visibility of that criticism is important.

overall, really good talk at identifying a thing that is ongoing and bringing that awareness to a new audience. But, I would have liked to see more (building on EUIV ACOUP posts) on building pedagogy around pop media/historical criticism, moving beyond doing outreach in isolation