Red Dead's History

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

By: Tore C. Olsson

Narrated by: Roger Clark

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

"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

Critic reviews

"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

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 .

An amazing look at "The old west "

So for all the History lovers , Western fans, or video gamers I cant recommend this highly enough! As an admirer of "The wild west" and a lover of video games and history this book is an awesome read. It dispells a LOT of misconceptions regarding the old west era while delving deep into the reasons , motivations and history of how this era defined how modern captialism woukd take root in the united states.

Excellent, Informative, and a Lot of Fun

I’ve been looking forward to this book for months now, and learning Roger Clark would be voicing the audiobook only made me more excited. I finished listening before I’ve even cracked open my physical copy- tho that will be next. This book was a wonderful breakdown of historical accuracies, inaccuracies, and recurring myths of the American landscape represented in Red Dead Redemption 2. I thought organizing the topics by region— Western, Southern, and Appalachian United States—was a clever way to go about such a broad topic. The book is very well written and so engaging, i’ve listened to it in every moment of free time since it came out. And Roger Clark’s audio performance made it all the more enjoyable. Im glad the author got to see his hard work telling history through this game come to this point.

Arthur Morgan

Arthur reading this made it worth listening plus learning how the game took from history was interesting

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.

Brilliant and beautifully done

loved the true history and how it somewhat mirrors red dead redemption 2. unapologetically and great story telling of America and it's true western history .

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.

Fantastic book!

As both an historian and a Red Dead Redemption fan, finding this book was like hitting the jackpot. Listening to it being read by Arthur Morgan himself (Roger Clark) was a huge bonus. If you love American history, and have even a cursory interest in RDR2, do not miss this.

Thank You

This book is an absolute masterpiece and well performed and educational. As someone who has played this game over 500 hours. I cant wait till red dead 3

I've never loved a book more

This is the most amazing audio book about America's past. it felt like I was being taught by Arthur Morgan himself