What Red Dead Redemption 2 is lying about. Cowboys in games, movies, and reality

The whole truth about the not-so-Wild West
Endless prairies, a faithful “Colt” on the belt and a hardy stallion, carrying a silent and slightly hungover hero straight into the sunset: it is difficult to find a more romanticized character than a cowboy. Coming out today, Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC is literally woven from such passages. Let’s try to figure out how plausible the image of a brave cowboy, firmly entrenched in our heads thanks to countless films and games about the Wild West.

What there is to do in the life of a real man? It seems that there are only three things: arrange a shootout in a bar, Rob a train and become the fastest shooter in the West, winning a fair duel in the hot midday sun. Continue reading →