Saim said:
I didn't even ASK why the Celts aren't in the game, I just said they shouldn't be. In Korea's case, I'm actually asking.
Since this argument has already been beaten to death in previous threads, I'll simply post a quick list on the reasons for Korean being in the game:
-1. Korean civilization (not "Korea" as a nation-state,) is one of the oldest surviving civilizations in the world with a history stretching back 3000 years. Very few civilizations can boast that.
-2. Korea is a distinct and unique East Asian civilization that represents early Northeast Asia. From the Gojoseon Period up to the Samguk Period, in a stretch of several centuries, northeastern China was dominated and shaped by the development of Korean civilization.
-3. Korea is a necessary component to representing East Asia, one of the most populous regions in the world. Korean civilization was responsible for the development of Japanese civilization (even the samurai sword was originally a Korean import; Japanese initially used straight swords).
-4. Modern Korea (both North and South) is highly important in today's world. South Korea is highly important economically and North Korea remains at the political squabbles involving many major players.
The "money talks" argument has been pretty much ignorant. As big as Korea's gaming market is, "Civilization IV" is *not* popular nor is there even a legal Korean version of Civ4.
Use the search feature on "Why is Korea in the game" and the thread should pop up for more details.
Anyways, on the whole Firaxis misrepresenting non-western history thing, I do agree that Asian and African histories are poorly represented, but I don't think that it is anything seriously major. Civilization IV is meant to be cartoony and fantastical, more like a "historical epic" as opposed to a real "historical."