Red Dead's History

A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past

De: Tore C. Olsson

Narrado por: Roger Clark

"A must-listen for fans of the beloved game."—Den of Geek

This program is read by Roger Clark, the iconic and award-winning full performance-capture actor of Red Dead Redemption 2's Arthur Morgan, who returns to the wildly dramatic and gritty world of the American frontier in this audiobook edition of Red Dead's History. It also features a prologue and epilogue read by the author.

A pathbreaking new way to examine US history, through the lens of a bestselling video game

Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption II, set in 1911 and 1899, are the most-played American history video games since The Oregon Trail. Beloved by millions, they’ve been widely acclaimed for their realism and attention to detail. But how do they fare as re-creations of history?

In this engaging audiobook, award-winning American history professor Tore Olsson takes up that question and more. Weaving the games’ plots and characters into an exploration of American violence between 1870 and 1920, Olsson shows that it was more often disputes over capitalism and race, not just poker games and bank robberies, that fueled the bloodshed of these turbulent years. As such, this era has much to teach us today. From the West to the Deep South to Appalachia, Olsson reveals the gritty and brutal world that inspired the games, but sometimes lacks context and complexity on the digital screen. Colorful, fast-paced, and dramatic, Red Dead’s History sheds light on dark corners of the American past for gamers and history buffs alike.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2024 Tore C. Olsson (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A landmark in writing about video games. Never before has a trained historian dived so deeply (and enthusiastically!) into a game's politics and milieu. From puncturing the sacred American cowboy myth to figuring out how violent, really, the West actually was, Professor Olsson effortlessly illuminates one of the greatest games ever made."—Tom Bissell, screenwriter, author of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter

“Like taking a college class from a brilliant, funny professor—except the professor is also a gamer.”—Daniel Immerwahr, author of How to Hide an Empire

"Millions of people have imagined the United States of 1899 through the lens of the video game, Red Dead Redemption 2. Tore Olsson explores that virtual world with the sympathetic insight of a skilled historian and devoted gamer... Immersive, unflinching, and fast-moving."—Edward Ayers, Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities and President Emeritus, University of Richmond

Interesting Retrospective of Acclaimed Game

Enjoyed hearing Roger Clark narrating and offering a gravitas performance when referring to moments in the game. Majority of the chapters on several historical aspects I was familiar with through my education. Though there was some new material of history I’ve never did learn in college or high school. But that’s just me in my historian lens. Nothing I can recall I disliked, I agreed with the author on his points and he clearly did his research. If you enjoyed Red Dead Redemption 2, this is a great companion piece to get immersed into and reflect the next time you pop in the game. Would highly recommend!

Excellent Listen, Compelling and Accessible History

Roger Clark is an excellent voice actor and he shines throughout the reading of this book. The contents of the book itself are a fascinating insight into a period of history (the late 1800s) that is often not given as much attention in high school US history classes as other periods of time. Using the game Red Dead Redemption 2, Olsson dives into the history of different regions of the US, specifically the west, Deep South, and southern Appalachia, and discusses major political, cultural, and social changes and developments going on in that time and ties it to our understanding of those regions today. It’s not dense or condescending. Olsson is blunt but clearly loves teaching and wants this history to be as accessible as possible. If you loved the game and love history, definitely check out this book.

Fantastic

Great purchase. Zero regrets. Y’all need to learn our pathetic history of the US. Roger Clark is amazing.

Amazing for fans of the game and fans of history!

This book is amazing! The mix of real history intertwined into the story of Red Dead is just simply awesome! Highly recommend to any fans of westerns, history or video games!

A must read for any fan ininterested in history and the era.

It's both informative and entertaining. It was interesting to hear how much accuracy was in the game. Not to mention what was the same and different for that era and those around it.

Fantastic

Kept me hooked from beginning to end. Starting each chapter with a scene from the game really put everything to perspective and gave a very “real” image of the current scenery. Listening to Arthur Morgan reading it all really made this a next level audiobook.

Now I want to start a new game and travel through history with open eyes .

different than expected! but no less amazing!

this book isn't exactly what I was expecting but lord did i have such an amazing time listening. truth be told I was brought here purely by Roger Clark, and his performance was fantastic as always! But Tore C. Olsson is the reason I stayed, the author of this book pored passion and soul into this project and it never dampens for a moment!

Compelling comparison

This book does an excellent job of separating fact from fiction while still giving credit where it's due to the things Rockstar did well when it's deserved while still being critical of the areas they could have reached further in to be even more exemplary in a sea of stereotypes and misconceptions.

When video games inspire you to know the world around you

It’s hard to summarize how incredible this book was! If you are even remotely interested in true American history, prepare to find your new obsession after reading this book!

Informative, compelling and accessible

Not being American myself (and thus not very well versed in its history beyond the very surface level information) I was excited to hear about this book, as I wanted to know more about the historical context of the game's setting and expand my historical knowledge. It did not disappoint! The scope of this book is fairly large but it felt surprisingly accessible and easy to follow even to someone with relatively little prior knowledge, while also being very interesting. I definitely feel like I've learned a lot through it! The author points out both the successes and failures of the game's representation while providing a lot of the context that goes unseen. Roger Clark's narration is of course a lovely bonus and he kills it throughout.