(There is a Jewish religion, and a Jewish ethnicity. Jonathan: I was born into a secular Jewish family. What's your relationship to Judaism? Is it a central part of your life? There is something very amazing in being immersed in a Medieval lord simulator such as Crusader Kings. I always found myself being drawn by realistic, historical games, and repulsed by unrealistic, fictional, fantastical games.

Jonathan: Being a fan of strategy games, especially games based in a historical setting, I was easily drawn to Crusader Kings II. Waypoint: What got you interested in playing Crusader Kings II ? (This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.)

It also draws trolls dishing out anti-Semitic comments, one of topics I covered when I chatted with Jonathan about the work put into his Jewish Kings mod. If Crusader Kings II already attracts a specific type of person, Jonathan's mod is even more specific. The online discussions surrounding the mod are fascinating, with other amateur Jewish experts weighing in with thoughts on his use of language, terms, and other elements of Jewish history. (Jonathan asked for his last name to be kept out of his story.) His interest in ancient and Medieval history is what drew him to Crusader Kings II, an experiment in exploring his Jewish identity and applying lessons from some programming courses he's taken. Jewish Kings, which intends 'to make Jewish characters more interesting and historically accurate,'comes from 16-year-old Canadian high school student Jonathan, who goes by the name Gefilte Fish online.

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