FIRAXIS: Please fix Printing Press data!

[yin26]

The printing press was NOT invented by Gutenberg in the 15th century! The first metal-type (moveable) printing press was in Korea TWO HUNDRED years earlier! UNESCO has confirmed, also, that Korea has the oldest metal type printed book in existence.

Please, please, please change this! This is prcisely the kind of ways people who don't know any better about other nations CONTINUE to not know any better.

If you need me to help point you to some confirmation of this fact, please let me know. Ouch, this one really bothers me.

[Alex 14]

Gutenburge's printing press most likely made bigger impact on civilization, unless Firaxis doesn't want to confuse people with wonders they've never heard of. It's hard to say because I don't have the game, perhaps they could modify it so it just says 'printing press'.

[yin26]

Korea also has the oldest wood-block print from the 8th century! Not to mention that its MASSIVE wood bock for printing Buddhist text (once destroyed by Khan but then immediately recarved) are considered one of the most important printing and cultural artifacts in the world!

PLEASE! I beg of you ...

[yin26]

unless Firaxis doesn't want to confuse people with wonders they've never heard of.

C'mon ... you don't seriously mean what you just wrote.

Now, if Firaxis want to focus on the influence factor, they should at least say something like: "Building on technologies found in Asia and mastered at the time by the Koreans two hundred years earlier, Gutenburg most likely heard of the printing press from stories brought back by Marco Polo. Streamlining the technology and making it have mass appeal, Guternburg and his addition to the printing press tradition helped revolutionize the Western world."

Now that would be fine.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yin, Gutenburg's press was different from the Korean one though. It was easier to mass print many different books using Gutenburg's, and it had a greater influence, including being necessary for the Protestant Reformation to occur.

[TCO]

Yin...your outrage is funny!

[yin26]

Sorry if I like the historical record to be acurately reflected in the game.

[yin26]

As I noted: Korea has the oldest wood block printed book, the greatest collection of wood blocks, the oldest metal type printing press and book ... it's a fact Marco Polo brought over word of this technology.

To NOT mention it in the way I have outlined above is simply being irresponsible and horribly Euro-centric. I can agree as to the greater influence, but it WAS NOT INVENTED by Gutenburg for God's sake. He improved on the idea and used it for the masses.

I think the description I wrote is fair AND true to history. God forbid the game actually helps teach people that not everything was invented in the west!

[Alex 14]

Like I said they should rename it to just 'printing press' because the game is suppose to be re-writing history, I wouldn't argue more information being put into the Civilopedia though.

[TCO]

yeah...they probably say they invented icecream too.

Anyhow, they're part of the Japanese civ, no?

[yin26]

O.K.: I'd rather have no historical data about these things than WRONG or horribly slanted data. This is true.

[yin26]

GP: Good try.

[yin26]

http://www.emc.com/international/activities/jikji.jsp

That's just one link. You can see my Korea thread in the Civs section for more, if you want to remove some western bias on the topic.

Now don't get me wrong: Gutenburg (and others in Holland and Prague) used the invention in a new way for the masses, and that cannot be ignored. But to say he 'invented' the technology is simply wrong.

[yin26]

Oldest known woodblock printing:

http://www.nfm.go.kr/enghtml2/en_jone_12.htm

[Pembleton]

NICE THREAD

yin26
03-11-2001 19:19 This person is on your Ignore List. To view this post click [here]

Alex 14
03-11-2001 19:28 This person is on your Ignore List. To view this post click [here]

yin26
03-11-2001 19:29 This person is on your Ignore List. To view this post click [here]

yin26
03-11-2001 19:33 This person is on your Ignore List. To view this post click [here]

Imran Siddiqui
ACS News Editor
New Brunswick, NJ

Dec 1969

03-11-2001 19:39

Yin, Gutenburg's press was different from the Korean one though. It was easier to mass print many different books using Gutenburg's, and it had a greater influence, including being necessary for the Protestant Reformation to occur.
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GP
Emperor
Atlanta, GA

Dec 1969

03-11-2001 19:49

Yin...your outrage is funny!

yin26
03-11-2001 19:52 This person is on your Ignore List. To view this post click [here]

yin26
03-11-2001 19:53 This person is on your Ignore List. To view this post click [here]

Alex 14
03-11-2001 19:59 This person is on your Ignore List. To view this post click [here]

GP
Emperor
Atlanta, GA

Dec 1969

03-11-2001 20:08

yeah...they probably say they invented icecream too.

Anyhow, they're part of the Japanese civ, no?

yin26
03-11-2001 20:08 This person is on your Ignore List. To view this post click [here]

yin26
03-11-2001 20:09 This person is on your Ignore List. To view this post click [here]

yin26
03-11-2001 20:21 This person is on your Ignore List. To view this post click [here]

yin26
03-11-2001 20:35 This person is on your Ignore List. To view this post click [here]