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New Red Dead

By Matthew Taylor
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I heard someone say that they understand video games and the escapism that they allow. I guess that’s true. It’s fun to drive through walls, shoot down spaceships and play soldier with friends or strangers. 

For myself, video games are the friend you don’t need to talk to. You’re comfortable in each others company without the need to talk or communicate. You don’t need to ask about their family or the weather or how work is going. 

My favourite video game is Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar’s western from 2010 which stars John Marston, a former outlaw trying to do right. The game was then and still is amazing, even almost four years after its release on 21st of May 2010 (18th for North America).
I replayed the single player section of the game recently and felt like returning to an old friend  I hadn’t seen in a while. We didn’t need to catch up, but continued where we had left it almost three years since I stopped playing. 

When I originally finished the game, I cried at the end. 

On the 12th of April 2010 my Dad died suddenly of heart failure. I received a call at work but by the time I arrived the coroner was ready and he lay under a sheet on his kitchen floor, one hand; palm facing the ceiling, laying out.

I had time off work, but sitting around hurt and I didn’t feel like doing much. 

I picked up Red Dead the day it came out. I could tune out of everything around me, ride horses and play cowboy. But mostly it kept me company when I was pretty miserable. It didn’t try to sympathise with me. It didn’t say it was sorry for my loss. It just let me chill out and enjoy it’s company. 

The current generation of consoles and games is coming to an end. It’s the first generation of gaming consoles where I’ve had a disposable income. I can pick and choose the games I want to play. Some games are great. Some games suck. Some games you keep close to you. Like Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII: games I sunk hours into. Red Dead Redemption is at the top of my list. He’s my buddy. 

Let Backwards Compatible know if there is a gaming experience you’d like to share, and I’ll get back to you.
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