Professor's Groundbreaking Approach to Teaching History Through "Red Dead Redemption II"
Professor's Groundbreaking Approach to Teaching History Through "Red Dead Redemption II"
An expert in American history, demonstrates how a video game can be leveraged as a powerful tool for teaching the complex social and economic realities of post-Civil War America.
The Story:
Created in 2018 by Rockstar Games, the renowned studio behind the Grand Theft Auto series, "Red Dead Redemption II" has been a resounding commercial and critical success, selling over 50 million copies by 2023 and earning widespread acclaim as a true work of art. The game's narrative follows the fictional outlaw Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang as they flee a botched robbery in the West and make their way eastward across the United States, traversing the fictionalized Deep South and Appalachia.
The decades following the Civil War were a tumultuous period in American history, marked by sweeping social upheaval. The defeat of the Confederacy led to a resurgent federal government's efforts to absorb the trans-Mississippi West, resulting in the dispossession of Native Americans, the exploitation of natural resources, and the construction of railroads. Lingering partisan resentments boiled over as Democratic cowboys herded their cattle northward from Texas to Kansas, where they were policed by Republican lawmen such as Wyatt Earp. Meanwhile, in the South, the movement to resurrect white supremacy was characterized by Ku Klux Klan terrorism and racial segregation. Across the nation, a growing labor movement resisted worker exploitation at the hands of corporate bosses, who sought assistance from organizations like the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.
The outlaw gang era depicted in the game is about 30 years too late, as by the 1890s, cowboys were more likely to be striking for fair wages than robbing trains. This historical inaccuracy allows the game to explore the romanticized notion of the American frontier, while also highlighting the real social and economic tensions of the period.
The game's fictional industrialist villain Leviticus Cornwall is based on the real-life robber barons and Pinkerton agents of 19th-century America. This provides a tangible connection between the game's narrative and the historical realities of corporate power and suppression of labor movements.
Professor Tore C. Olsson, initially abandoned video games when he went to college in 2000, but the tedium of the COVID-19 pandemic's early days led him back to the console, where he discovered "Red Dead Redemption II." Olsson believes that video games can be powerful tools in teaching serious historical content and should no longer be ignored or written off by professional historians. Captivated by the game's fictionalized content, Olsson recognized its potential as a springboard for exploring some of the most challenging topics in the history of North America from 1880 to 1920. In the fall of 2021, Olsson first offered a college course built around the game, which proved to be a resounding success, ultimately leading to the writing of his book, "Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past." This book aims to empower gamers with the ammunition they need to prove they aren't wasting their lives "behind that screen but instead are learning big things." The audiobook version of "Red Dead's History" is narrated by Roger Clark, the voice actor for the game protagonist Arthur Morgan. This adds an immersive layer to the exploration of the game's historical themes. As Professor Tore C. Olsson explains, "The point of Red Dead's History is not to ruin Red Dead Redemption 2 for you. It's to make you passionate about learning some of the heaviest and thorniest dilemmas of American history in this time period."
The View:
Olsson's analysis of "Red Dead Redemption II" demonstrates the game's potential as a powerful educational tool. By offering a compelling exploration of the game's historical backdrop and the chaotic era in which it is set, Olsson makes a strong case for using video games as an effective means to teach serious historical content.
The game serves as an emotional hook to educate students and gamers about the "heaviest and thorniest dilemmas of American history in this time period," without ruining the enjoyment of the game itself. Olsson's innovative approach, both in the classroom and on the page, serves as an inspiring example of how to bring the past to life in all its weirdness and complexity, effectively engaging students and gamers alike.
While Olsson holds the game in high regard, he is equally attuned to its flaws, critically examining places where the designers have fallen short in providing sufficient historical context or included anachronisms. For instance, he points out that by the 1890s, the age of outlaw gangs depicted in the game had already passed, and that cowboys were more likely to be striking for fair wages than robbing trains. Additionally, Olsson suggests that the game's handling of Indigenous characters and the transformation of Appalachia by industrialists like the fictional Leviticus Cornwall reflect both positive and negative aspects of its historical representation.
Olsson's work serves as a provocative challenge to the notion that majoring in the humanities, such as history, practically guarantees unemployment. He argues that educators must adapt to the changing ways in which students now learn, and that innovative approaches like his own can inspire a new generation of historically informed citizens, a vital necessity in the face of the perils attendant to a historically uninformed populace.
TLDR:
"Red Dead Redemption II" was created by Rockstar Games in 2018, and has been a commercial and critical success, selling over 50 million copies by 2023.
The game's narrative follows the fictional outlaw Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang as they flee a botched robbery in the West and make their way eastward across the United States
The game explores the romanticized notion of the American frontier, while also highlighting the real social and economic tensions of the late 19th-century period.
Professor Tore C. Olsson initially abandoned video games when he went to college, but rediscovered them during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading him to recognize the potential of "Red Dead Redemption II" as a powerful tool for teaching serious historical content.
Olsson's book, "Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past," aims to empower gamers to see the value in learning about the "heaviest and thorniest dilemmas of American history in this time period."
The audiobook version of the book is narrated by Roger Clark, the voice actor for the game protagonist Arthur Morgan, adding an immersive layer to the exploration of the game's historical themes.
Olsson's work challenges the notion that majoring in the humanities, such as history, guarantees unemployment, and argues for the importance of adapting to the changing ways in which students now learn.
Know More:
Insights From:
‘Red Dead’s History’ Review: Gaming the Old West - Wall Street Journal
The Red Dead Redemption 2 Book That Teaches the Violent History of the American South - Den of Geek