We all remember way back when every socially backwards group thought that video games were the root of all evil. First, it was Mortal Kombat and Doom and how those were supposedly promoting the school shooter mentality. Then it was the Grand Theft Auto, with the accusations that it empowered teens to be criminals. But now, that seems to have subsided, considering the original complainers to use Call of Duty fans as a receptive audience for their bile (when they're not busy devouring Doritos and inhaling cans of Mountain Dew).

But that brings up a far more interesting revelation: when people play games, they generally act like either a) a different person, or b) their normal emotional state cranked up to an insane degree. Of course, such a discovery is nothing new, as this is the backbone for most edutainment games. But what about games that could provide a more subtle emotional experience? After all, both of the Portal games base a lot of their mechanics on the player's tendencies towards lateral thinking.

With that said, let us look at the medieval RTS game Crusader Kings II, a game that has been described as "The Perfect Game of Thrones Video Game". (No, seriously, Google what's in quotes.) You know what that means: general politicking, families that despise each other, miserable tragedies coming out of nowhere, with copious amounts of sex and violence. As one critic on Steam commented, "I thought I was a moral person. I was wrong." Well, this ought to be an interesting way to describe it; this game might be worth a try. I mean, even though my day won't be ruined if I do badly, I can be a little competitive if the situation calls for it. Let's see how I do:

Unfortunately, I can't do screenshots that I can access, so allow me, dear reader, to describe the experience to you to the best of my ability.

I chose to start in England on the day after Christmas in the year 1066. In this case, I take up the mantle of the newly-crowned King William the Conquerer, fresh off his victory at Hastings. And we quickly realize that even though I have 12 holdings, the game will only let me keep six. Not to mention there are still remnants of the old regime still hanging around.

So, for the most part, it's just a matter of consolidating power where we can, and giving it out to people that we like where we can't. This included four "holy men" that apparently happened to be in the area, and a guy named Drogo (and no, I am not making this up - apparently the "Perfect Game of Thrones Game" isn't a misnomer). This includes the two eldest sons, Robert and Richard, who get the duchies of Normandy and Somerset in the hopes that they won't screw it up. Though we do have some misgivings about Richard's tutor, Heria - It's not because she's a woman or anything like that, but rather because he's 12 and she's 16.

Then again, it was only a matter of time before some of importance came into the fray - mainly, opposition in the form of two brothers that happen to be the Dukes of Warwick and York. Lovely. And some time after that, the counts of Leicester and Northampton decided they also wanted to get in my way, mainly by "secretly" backing other contenders and pretenders.

However, things did sway in our favor a little bit. For example, the aforementioned Count of Northampton died all the sudden, leaving me his holdings - we knew nothing about his death until after the fact, and we can prove it. Actually, that was pretty much it, as the heir Robert was proving himself to be an out-and-out disappointment except in military matters. Also an exercise in disappointment - trying to find a proper match for one of the princesses, as all of the matches were either too old or too lacking in prestige.

Except for the Earl of Cumberland. However, he was in Scotland, despite the fact that his land is technically English land. Then again, there is a potential opportunity if we can bring him into the fold. Besides, war has a funny way of uniting a country.

Thus, the war began in September 1069 and was won two years later. Surprisingly, it went well, despite having to beat back the enemy at Bamburgh and York [Insert Mel Gibson joke here]. Then again, the sieges took far too long, and properly lead the Count of Chester into revolting. Don't worry, we put an end to it quick enough.

I'll have to say, I'm surprised by how good I was at the game. Sure, I didn't handle it in the most moral way possible. But I managed to make things work out for the time being, and I'm looking forward to playing the game so more. In some ways, it can be summed by Tyrion's speech in the season 2 finale:

Make of that what you will.