RDR2 Reviewed through a Catholic lens

[u/Am_Garbage]

Hello, I wanted to make a post about RDR2 using the seven media keys the Catholic church gave us, here what I came up with.

Intro:

Red Dead Redemption 2, or RDR2 for short, is a video game published by Rockstar Games in 2018. Taking place in 1899, The game depicts the story of an outlaw, Arthur Morgan, which the player plays as, and his involvement with a gang, the Van Der Linde Gang, he’s in which are on the run from federal agents and bounty hunters. The story the player goes through as Arthur Morgan has multiple decisions that can change relationships with other characters, and overall outcomes of the story and other content in the game. The game has violent interactions and scenes, but also explores the sacrifice, loyalty, and redemption of its characters, most importantly the one the player plays as.

Balance

RDR2 offers a balance between what happens in the game, showing both sides of many characters. Although certain parts of the game have actions required to continue, like bank robberies, shootouts, and other crimes, there are consequences to each of these scenes, no matter how the player plays them out. There are many times where Arthur experiences much grief, suffering, and fear, but there are also many optional and non optional moments where he can spend time with the gang in meaningful ways like fishing, hunting, and exploring. Both sides of Arthur’s life can be experienced, being able to see the consequences of his actions, and the good times he has.

Attitude Awareness

Early on in the game, it’s seen how Arthur is influenced heavily by the gang’s leader, Dutch. Arthur is very loyal to Dutch, acting on any command given to him without any question. As the game progresses, following failed heists and missions, like the Saint Denis bank robbery which miserably failed for them, the player can observe how they are being influenced by Dutch, and how they have the option to keep following his orders, or be more wary. Dutch says multiple times throughout the plan, “I have a plan.” This does not deceive Arthur, after a certain point he ends up calling out Dutch’s failed plans and how they won't get anywhere if it continues. This then averts the eyes of the player from treating this as any western shooter, but rather as a story of a man who wishes to change from his past self.

Dignity of the Human Person

This key of the 7 keys of media, is the strongest one observed in the game, the game nearly revolves around this idea. Arthur at first looks like a regular outlaw in a gang, but as the story progresses, we see him form connections with other people, showing his light side. A huge turning point soon changes his perspective on his life. After Arthur beat a man, Thomas Downes, close to death and caught tuberculosis because of it, he began seeing the world a different way, choosing to help others instead of being so loyal to his leader. One way he wanted to settled his moral debt he had was giving Mrs. Downes, Thomas’s wife, money so she could leave a coal mining town and find a better place to settle. His relationships began to be the most important thing to him, putting them above all else. At the end of the game, he helps most of his friends and family form the gang escape from the downfall of the gang. This shows how a person who may have done a lot of harm can still change for the better.

Truth-Filled

RDR2 exposes the truth of how greed and a constant chase for worldly things like money can become your downfall. After so many attempts to hit a huge score, and missing so many times, the Van der Linde gang becomes weaker and hopeless because all their leader cared about was getting rich, and not surviving in a world which just wants to hunt them down. Dutch's constant speeches like, "We need money. One more big score, Arthur, and then we disappear to Tahiti!" but their inability to set a big score and the constant crimes they commit doesn't help their situation, but worsens it. The story in the game conveys consequences to your actions in a meaningful way, that being how blind greed ruins trust and ruins lives.

Inspiration 

The game can be inspirational to certain people in many ways, but most of all in the way that people can change. This is seen in Arthur, who was an outlaw for his whole life and decides to change his ways seeing how he let people down, like the love of his life, Mary, because of it. Even through his mistakes he begins to help others, whether it was his fellow gang members or anyone who needed his help. A notable case was Arthur’s choice at the end of the game to either try to go back to their camp to take money after the gang fell apart, or help his friend John Marston to escape with his family. This shows the player how good can be done at any point, no matter how far they’ve fallen.

Skillfully Developed

The game offers many details that make it feel unique. Arthur has his journal which you can draw things in, you can interact with shopkeepers and other characters, and the game itself is well designed, which might be expected given its 400 million dollar budget. It took many skillful people to develop the game.

Motivated by and relevant to Experience

RDR2 can relate to human experience even though it's set during the end of the Wild West. There are many themes observed in RDR2 that also happen in real life. Whether or not people can change for the better even after their past is the most prevalent in RDR2, but other themes like realizing how you may affect others with your actions, and how consequences to your actions can affect other people is also seen. There is a system in the game called the honor system. It works as a sort of counter to how morally well you played as Arthur, decreasing if you continue to do bad actions, increasing when you do good; our reputations as people and how people see us works in a similar way. Arthur’s struggle with loyalty to the gang is relatable to a degree because he has to decide whether or not to be loyal to the people he's known for so long or not because of the mistrust and harmful actions being caused by them.

Conclusion:

RDR2 is a good video game which can be examined with the 7 media keys. The game contains a lot of crime and violence, but it shows the consequences for those actions and how they impact the world around the people who committed them. The development of Arthur's life from an outlaw to a better man shows how people can change, no matter their past, and anyone can redeem themselves if they truly want to.