Gotta admit one thing. I wasn't a huge fan of history before, say, 1485 (points if you know why that date is important), and knew nothing more than Charlemagne did his thing around 800 a.d. The middle ages were one big blur, with a few bad Shakespearean histories to round them out, but this stupid game is making me think a bit about things that, frankly, were never interesting before. Like: Who the hell were the Byzantines? Why was the Byzantine empire, as a continuation of the Roman empire, important to influence culture for thousands of years?

Also, tracing the development of the interactions between cultures of peoples that created the various nations we see in MTW, it's neat to look at portions of land on the map and recognize the lands. You know Flanders is rich because it trades like crazy. Saxony is in the center and it's no wonder they get invaded every Sunday, look at the location! I'd heard of Prussia before (after all, they influenced german military might in the 20th century quite strongly), but who knew they were in bloody West Poland? And why do all the people in the area of the Italies like eggplant so much?

So, I'm fond of the game. I think the developers have created a historical aid, in some ways. What is the name of the famous german work which solidified German culture? (Starts with an "N.") See? You learn as you play. A couple of dates are etched in your brain because they're important to the game.

So the next time you're having a beer with your mates, and the discussion turns to the socio-economic impact of the changes in Spanish monarchial authority in the 12th century, you'll be able to contribute, because of a stupid game, where you read about a popup that changes the ruler's stats in Spain because of an agreement he had with his nobles.

Ain't that a peach?