Red Deads History, Tore C. Olsson
Red Deads History, Tore C. Olsson
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.49

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

Author: Tore C. Olsson

Narrator: Roger Clark

Unabridged: 10 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/06/2024

Synopsis

"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.

About Tore C. Olsson

TORE C. OLSSON is an award-winning historian of the United States since the Civil War, and a professor at the University of Tennessee. He has devoted much of his career to making serious history relevant and accessible to the public. In 2021, he taught the first-ever college history class on the Red Dead Redemption games, which provided the inspiration for this book. Born in Sweden, Olsson emigrated to the U.S. in 1990, where he misspent much of his youth behind a video game monitor.

Reviews

Goodreads review by PamG on July 23, 2024

Red Dead’s History by Tore C. Olsson has a fantastic premise and was inspired by the author’s college history class that he taught. It covered the Red Dead Redemption games and history and drew upon years of gaming experience, research, and reflections on how video games can interest individuals......more

Goodreads review by Brendan on June 29, 2024

Peanut butter and jelly. Cookies and milk. To these iconic pairings, let's add video games and history. Don't believe me? Then let me introduce you to Tore Olsson and his wonderful book, Red Dead's History. For the uninitiated, there is a video game franchise with three different games, Red Dead Rev......more

Goodreads review by ancientreader on September 15, 2024

This is amazingly good, a valuable history even for those of us who don't play Red Dead Redemption: it describes RDR's version of late-19th-century US history and explains where it succeeds and where it falls short without spending so much time on the game as to forfeit a non-player's interest. Exce......more

Goodreads review by Kevin on March 12, 2024

Engaging and enlightening, Olsson delves into the historical context behind Red Dead Redemption 2 and gifts both historians and gamers a thoughtful look at the social and political constructs that defined the era depicted in the game. I learned lots about the history of the West, the South, and the......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on January 26, 2025

This book was nothing short of fantastic, easiest 5 star review ever in my short reading career. It was refreshing diving into historical nonfiction that brought me back to my high school days and reading something other than murder mysteries or sports genres as of late. Olsson provided a fun and in......more

Quotes

"Informative and enjoyable...Olsson has much to say about connecting the past to the present in ways that are novel and fun."
—Kirkus

"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

"As addictive and compelling as the video game it examines....Red Dead's History is a great read, and it will delight both fans of the game and anyone interested in the consequential events that made America what it is today."
—Megan Kate Nelson, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Three-Cornered War and Saving Yellowstone

 “In this remarkable book, [Olsson] invites students of history and devotees of historically situated video games to recognize what they can learn from one another.... Red Dead's History is an eye-opener for anyone interested in our culture and politics."
—Steven Hahn, Professor of History at NYU and Pulitzer Prize winning author of A Nation under Our Feet

“Worlds collide in Red Dead’s History, where video game players and historians meet.... It’s a lesson in taking readers where you find them, welcoming them, and using familiar stories to give a truer account to an avid audience. Tore Olsson proves that history can be fun.”
—Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore, Peter V. and C. Vann Woodward Professor of History Emerita at Yale University

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List