How Accurate Red Dead Redemption 2 Is To The Real Wild West

How Accurate Red Dead Redemption 2 Is To The Real Wild West

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Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 paid close attention to historical accuracy in order to create a realistic portrayal of the wild west.

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How Accurate Red Dead Redemption 2 Is To The Real Wild West

Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 largely uses fictional people and places to tell its story, but for a game with mainly made-up lead characters, it may be surprising to learn that, overall, Red Dead Redemption 2 still stays true to historical accuracy.

While players assume the role of John Marston in the first Red Dead Redemption game as he tracks down some of his former associates, in the second game the role of main protagonist shifts to Arthur Morgan. Acting as a prequel to the original Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 provides more insight into the Van der Linde gang, including how they eventually disbanded, and also provides a deeper look into the wild west of the late 19th century.

Red Dead Redemption 2 may follow a fictional storyline, but many of the details in the game are true for the time period. Not only does this lead to a more immersive and impressive game, but it speaks to the sheer amount of effort Rockstar put into creating RDR2, which makes it understandable why many reviews have hailed Red Dead Redemption 2 as a masterpiece.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Has Historically Accurate Situations

How Accurate Red Dead Redemption 2 Is To The Real Wild West

The conflicts encountered in Red Dead Redemption 2 are incredibly accurate for the times. The Van der Lindes were inspired by real-life outlaws, having drawn comparisons to Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch. Other factions in RDR2 similarly have roots in history. Angelo Bronte’s mafia in Saint Denis, for example, parallels the Sicilian mob family that had a hold over New Orleans.

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At one point in Red Dead Redemption 2’s story, Arthur finds himself involved in a protest for women’s suffrage. Though women didn’t get the right to vote in the U.S. until 1920, the movement was picking up traction by the end of the 1800s, so it was fitting the game included a nod to the influential movement. Similarly, the Pinkertons were another source of conflict that was alive and well in the real wild west. The detective agency was often hired by the government or other private actors to bring justice to the west, and often this would include hunting down outlaws like the Van der Linde gang.

Red Dead Redemption 2 also does a good job at fleshing out the racial inequalities that were prominent for the time, and not just in the part of the game where Arthur can go crazy on a bunch of KKK members. Parts of RDR2’s storyline revolve around the conflict between the U.S. government and the Wapiti Reservation; the former wants to seize the land in order to further American interests, but the Natives were understandably unwilling to let their territory go. IGN notes this parallels a variety of similar conflicts that happened between the U.S. governments and Natives at the end of the 19th century. “The situation is remarkably evocative of at least two particular historical situations: the famous seizure of the Black Hills from the plains nations after discovery of gold in the 1870s, and the patronizing and reprehensible treatment of the Osage by the state and federal governments through the 1920s,” Jared Petty wrote.

RDR2’s Weapons, Environments, & Diseases Are All Based In Real-Life

In terms of weapons, Rockstar tried to provide an accurate portrayal of the gun selection outlaws would’ve had in the real wild west. Many of the models available are directly based on guns popular at the turn of the century. The repeating rifle, for instance, is a staple of the wild west in media and literature, and for good reason. The Winchesters were one of the earliest repeaters available on the market, and RDR2’s Lancaster – one of the most effective guns in the game – largely embodies the famous rifle. What isn’t accurate about RDR2’s weapons, however, is the reload time. In reality, most pistols weren’t loaded to full capacity because of the risk of accident, given how volatile the guns could be, and so it was common practice to keep the chamber empty.

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Red Dead Redemption 2’s environment is also incredibly accurate. While the cities themselves may be fictional, one Polygon video shows how RDR2 took inspiration from Hudson River School in re-creating its landscapes in order to present an accurate depiction of what the environment looked like in the old west. Unlike some western-themed video games, the real wild west certainly wasn’t all desert and cacti. The 19th-century American art movement was heavily influenced by romanticism and focused on natural beauty, such as mountains, rivers, and foliage.

Finally, even Arthur’s death at the end of RDR2 is a reflection of the sad fates many people encountered in the 19th century due to a lack of medical knowledge or care. Not only was tuberculosis running rampant amid the Americas during the time, but a lack of medical treatments only worsened the symptoms. Nowadays, the rates of death from TB have drastically improved, even though many people around the world continue to suffer from the disease as they lack proper medical care. Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 clearly took historical accuracy to heart, and delivered an incredible game that stays true to history while providing an unforgettable gameplay experience.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/rdr2-wild-west-historical-accuracy-red-dead-redemption/

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