Red Dead Redemption Series Will Become Basis of History Course at U.S. University

On February 11, history professor Tore Olsson from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville announced that from August 2021 he would begin teaching a course called “Red Dead America” ​​at the university. The program will focus on American history from 1899 to 1911, and within its framework, the professor will use materials from the Red Dead Redemption series of games and demonstrate gameplay from time to time. The course attracted the attention of dozens of students.

Professor Olsson emphasized that there are many historical inaccuracies in the Rockstar Games products, but they can be a great starting point for anyone with an interest in US history. Interestingly, symbolically-rendered things like books, films, and games attract numerous people. If you are also interested in such an occurrence, check casinos for kiwis where you can find many themed games.

According to him, the first and second parts of the RDR touch on topics such as:

• the mythology of the frontier and its long “life after death”;
• the expansion of monopoly capitalism as well as the growth of corporate power through railways;
• sharp inequality of property, which became apparent during the “gilded age” (the end of the 19th — the beginning of the 20th century);
• settlement of colonialism and deprivation of indigenous peoples’ possessions;
• racial violence in the South;
• the Mexican Revolution and the transnational consequences of it;
• memories of the American Civil War and the roots of the myth of the “Lost Ideology” of the Confederates (belief in the heroic goals of the Confederation and the defense of the slave system);
• women’s right to elections and its opponents;
• the American empire and its expansion in 1898;
• the cosmopolitanism of the American population, as well as immigrants from Italy, China, Mexico, and Germany;
• stereotypes about the degeneration and poverty of the inhabitants of Appalachia, as well as real cases of deprivation of people’s property by corporations;
• privatization of law enforcement and the fact of Pinkerton detective agency.

The enrollment has already begun, and 35 people will be able to join the group. As noted by Olsson, students will not need to buy games, but the material is intended primarily for those who are already familiar with Red Dead Redemption. First of all, the teacher wants to attract more students for whom history is not their main specialty.

Olsson also noted that most of the curriculum will be traditional, and he plans to only access Rockstar games in the first half of the course.

Interestingly, the digital revenue of RDR for January grew across all categories compared to last year. Mobile gaming revenue grew 6%, PC gaming revenue grew 31%, and console gaming revenue grew 24%.

Revenue and player count increased in January with the addition of a new character and the start of a new season. Compared to December, revenue increased by 39%, and the number of players increased by 29%. The growth was mainly driven by returning players, who accounted for 72% of the total.