The Mustang Diaries: un estudio de México en Red Dead Redemption 1

Can a form of play be used to portray the past in popular culture? Can a person engage in such an act and acquire agency of a particular time in history? Play constitutes many forms—but for the sake of this paper, it will be used in the context of video games. Using the two main schools of thought for the study of these, nar-ratology and ludology, I intend to highlight the potential for games to not only recreate history but also inter-act with events and how they can provide new ways of understanding history. I will focus mainly on the Mexi-can Revolution and the U.S.-Mexico border relations in Rockstar’s epic western: Red Dead Redemption 1

Introduction -- Virtual Mexico: violence, stereotypes and more -- Culture rendered in the open world -- John marston rides south. But first, let’s float across the border -- The morality effect interpreting nuevo paraiso -- The spect-actor’s inability to change events -- The mexican caudillo: the arrogant and the lost -- Conclusion: towards gaming with a purpose