That game touched my soul to the point where I just left Texas and now live in Alaska and want to pursue hunting and fishing, living off the land, and escaping "modern society"
I love the romanticized way of living back in this time period. Of course, knowing that it was also a hell of a time to be alive as a woman, the beauty of living off the land, partnership with your circle and your animals, and self sustainability is what gets me!
i sometimes think about living in the 1800s while life was much harder back then i feel humans generally felt a sense of purpose higher than we do in todays corperate world...i wish i could of experienced it.
Could you please make a video on how women would dress historically, and their multiple roles? Such as the woman’s temperance league (suffragists/activists) or the beginnings of the Red Cross (nurses) or even what Annie Oakley would wear, and the multiple firearms she would use, or the multiple various other women of great historical value? Please and thank you
Tfw generally women were way happier and led fulfilling lives raising their families back then whereas in the progressive modern world, women are more depressed and unfulfilled than ever before in human history because of this hyper focus on college and careers at the expense of their entire youth, missing out on their short window to birth children and raise families. It is scientifically proven that women are happier staying home and raising their children. It’s truly sad how fucked up the modern world is yet people cope and convince themselves that things were worse back then even though we were all happier and had real purpose to our lives.
@@zakk94 you left 7 comments because I called you out on your profile picture. Such a wolf action. Look man I’m not trying to offend you, I don’t know how old you are. I just thought that comment was kind of funny.
@@Jan-WillemLodewijkdederde I'm constantly offended in angry I'm sick of people making fun of how I look and what I like I hate this Society and I hate this world and I'm not ashamed to say that we live in the worst generation ever I've never my life seems so many people criticize and talk crap about how someone looks and what they wear and I'm sick of it all want is to be myself
RDR2 really makes you enjoy the landscape itself. It doesn't feel like a terrain you have to pass through or some "empty" lands. When I first played the game I finished it in a rush because that's the way most games are intended to be played. But the second time I played it I began to stop and observe things that I didn't even notice before. I began to enjoy being all alone in the wild watching animals and taking photos of them. Even fishing became a really fun activity. Goddamn, I can assure you that the 95% of the time I played the game was spent on just fishing and traveling from desert to snowy mountains. And making split point rounds
Same here. I still play singleplayer in a rush since it's my first playthrough and I'm really curious about what happens (also to be safe from spoilers hahaha), but I was playing online with a friend that same way and it just felt so... weird. I was playing like any other game, just going straight from point A to point B, with the sole objective of completing the mission to see those numbers representing my money get bigger, 80% of the time looking into my expanded minimap to check the route or nearby enemies. It just felt like I was playing the game wrongly. Not really enjoying the most that I could from it, not being fair with the big and detailed world it has. Then I made another character, a more roleplay oriented one. No minimap, playing the game a lot slower, taking my time to do things, etc. And it's amazing. Hunting in the wilds or just walking with my horse is very relaxing, and sometimes I log into it and don't even do any mission, just chill around the map. Oh, and fishing. Fishing is the best HAHAHAHA
There's been many times when i have been playing rdo and i just stop doing what i am doing ( so long as its not a timed thing), and just look at the view. Especially if i am in the high part of the Ambarino or the Grizzlies, or just take a moment and enjoy a bit of fishing at Calumet Ravine. Seeing a part of the world/game untouched or at least my man.
You can hear the terrible yellow flys buzzing around you in the swamp without actually having to get bitten constantly. Perfect. It’s a very romanticized version of the forest and hunting. No briar thickets and animals everywhere.
This was a really good video I really felt it and everyone really should spend more time outside in nature. Id love to go hiking in those Colorado mountains they look amazing
Thanks, Harry! I'm pumped it resonated with you, man. Colorado is pretty great, but I grew up in Iowa and I always thought the woods there just as great... only different. Thanks for the comment!
I don't know man, I feel like a lot of gamers love John Marston. I think it depends when you got introduced to Red Dead. John was the OG of the cowboy games. I think people whose first introduction to RD was the 2nd one, they aren't going to have the tie to John like people who played the first game first. I love Arthur, but I'll always love John more.
@@antthomas7916 Absolutely, my introduction to John when RDR1 first came out, got me hooked on westerns. John Marston is all things to all men as far as I'm concerned.
@@antthomas7916 I don't know, I played the first game first, and I would consider John to be a pale shadow of Arthur, just as Jack was a pale shadow of John in the epilog of the first game
Its crazy how accurate this is because when i go hiking alone on a hidden trail that can be dangerous my senses really do pick up and i hear, see and smell everything waaaaaay more ready for a predator
@@ihatepartisans.7198 Eh, I guess that's true, and yes it kinda depends. Overall, we are definitely the predators, and very recent studies showed that we were 'Super Apex Predators', and our ancestors very often hunt down and killed whole elephants and mammoths, killed tigers, lions, cheetahs, panthers, etc., but the thing is, we are very intelligent. With our combined intelligence and a group of other beings, we can accomplish many, many things. Before these studies, it was thought that for all of our evolution we mostly ate berries, grains, seeds, veggies, fruit, etc. Only with some meat, but it turns out that only started about 11,700 years ago, and for 2 million years the large majority of our meals were meat, and scientists also believe that this may be largely due to the Ice Age that occurred. We are the predators, my friend!
I have only played RDOL for a few hours but, I played the storyline four times now. (I only went through as Marston once.) I enjoy the story play better because I like to listen to Arthur's musings. You can still do the hunting, exploring, gun fighting and travelling but, you get to know the man better. I can never make myself play a dishonorable Arthur...doesn't feel right.
@@ThehoodieGuy. RDOL stands for Red Dead Online . Craig never said he finished the game in a few hours. He finished the story mode several times . Then he played the RDOL ( Red Dead Online ) for a few hours .
This definitely explains that elusive itch and why RDR2 is is such a satisfying scratch. I've never played this game to blast thru it, but more so to live thru a time and landscape that in my opinion, makes sense to most of us, compared to society today. Thumbs up for the great viewers question and you taking the time to shed some light.
Couldn’t agree more! I tried to touch on this idea in my own RDR2 game review, but couldn’t quite put my finger on what exactly it was. This makes a lot of sense! I mean the game inspired me to pick up my BB gun for the first time in years for some target practice (I’m a girl). And don’t even get me started on horses. I rediscovered my love for horses and am looking forward to being a stable hand temporarily this month for my friend!
I love history. In a matter of fact I reenact the civil war. Red dead gives me a chance to still get the feeling of history and nature just as a tactical or reenactment would. I can't afford a pc so I can't play war of rights but red dead is a great second option. Sure it doesn't take place in the 1860s but it takes place far enough back where I still get that sense of how it used to be. When boys were more manly then grown men of today. When a 13 year old kid would take up a rifle and provide for his family, instead of a 30 year old man today protesting about hunting in any regard. It's a masterpiece. Until you get griefed by a dude in a pink feathered flop hat and a rifle that shoots explosive rounds.
I dig your reflection, Crusader. I think our modern society pushes men to become 'good men'- but there's no push to make men good at 'being men.' Big difference there.
Its interesting you bring up the constant stimulus that technology gives us. The best thing I have done is get rid of my smartphone, its been 2 months and I couldn't be happier. Its not the most convenient thing but it has allowed me to spend my time doing "better" things; whether thats reconnecting with nature, being more passionate about making music or just generally spending my time more meaningfully than endlessly scrolling on a glowing rectangle. Its funny how you don't realize the drain that constant stimulus has on you until you get rid of it
Exactly. It's like cutting out sugar. You don't realize how it impacts your mind and body until you get rid of it. Most folks feel like completely different people once they do. It's the same with tech. Just so hard to avoid both nowadays! Glad to hear you stepped away from the smartphone. You're ahead of me, Chridfer!
I recently started playing RDO not that long ago, but I only really like playing with others, not alone. I've found that I get more fun out of assisting rather than leading. On bounty hunts, I like the coordination of taking down enemies together, and I like to keep enemies from getting to my allies. In hunting, I sort of like helping to track the prey down, but I feel more pride in taking the carcass back to camp while the others stay out in the field to keep hunting. Also, I feel a little pride when people notice I made food at the camp, and they all gather round to make use of it. Also, I like driving my tomahawk into the torsos of my enemies, ripping it back out with meaty chunks clinging to the blade.
Awesome comment, Zero Fighter. I wrote a long reply somewhere in these comments to a person asking why women like the game, I think that, regardless of gender, the game offers something for everyone. You can play it however you want, and make it what you will. I prefer hunting solo far away from everyone, but love running missions with small groups of friends. I also really like just sitting by campfires, as silly as it may sound.
@@joshholden9360 I don't really enjoy the game, but I get a small bit of satisfaction at being able to play around with my lesser Native American (Lakota Sioux) heritage, dressing up in glorified, generalized 'Native attire', and running around with knives and tomahawks, brutally murdering 'the pale-faced monsters'. Of course, that's all in humor among my friends, and none of us actually hold such racist values. We just like to joke around about it due to the game's setting, and because of historical context. We think it's funny. Basically, I just like playing with my friends who happen to be playing RDO, and I make my own fun out of it.
Bro, I feel the same. I've been playing since April, and I've gotten to a point to where I'm able to assist other players with anything they need done. Whenever we're in a shootout, I like to focus on one side of the area (aka my side) and let my partner deal with their side, and whenever they need help I'll take care of both sides at the same time to give them a moment to heal up. I'm not much of a leader tho, and I don't like being one. I like being off on my own adventures by myself, and helping/being apart of someone else's when they need me. But yea, I totally agree with you. Btw sorry for typing alot :D
I totally agree with what you said, I just got back from a two day motocamping trip with my buddy. It was rainy and windy and just generally miserable but at the same time, one of the most enjoyable things to do.
Agreed. I love testing myself in nature. The worse the weather, the greater the self confidence I acquire in my skills and fortitude come the end of it.
The longing of a time before the time one was alive can be traced as back as the first civilizations. I can recall a video about an ancient Sumerian song talking about even ancient times. It sort of all traces back to our primitive origins as hunters and gatherers, all the modern stress is a remanent of our ancestor surviving in those times against large predators and equally large game like mammoths, giant sloths, and armadillos.
This video has some points for me because I have ground in countryside surrounded by fiealds and forests. I tried city-life for a few months but there is no another when watching sunrise over the pine forest.
Lol, well, I don't know why exactly but I actually get some anxiety when I go to far into the country because it's to lonely, so I'm forever gonna remain in the city
I've been backpacking up very remote trails, and I've got to say it was one of the most, if not THE most exciting and fun thing I've ever done. My longest hike was only 6 miles, but it was all uphill with 40lbs on my back. Once I got to the top of the trail it was the most satisfying feeling I've ever had. Plus nature seems to remove any stress I have at the time.
Fascinating (and undoubtedly true) take! I grew up in the Australian outback and now I live in the city with very few avenues to get into the country. What you're saying really resonates me, I'm 19 and honestly don't have much ambition career-wise, I really just want to go and live off the land on a small farm or something... Shame that's something that doesn't seem to be particularly 'tolerated' by society... Great video!
I've gotten a lot of comments from folks on here about feeling the same way- disconnected from nature, frustrated with city life, and longing for the wilderness, danger, and freedom. As I say in the video, we're domesticated versions of our ancestors- we're dogs, but they were wolves. We might be living in a world of technology and bubble-wrapped safety-ism, but there will always still be those primal embers burning low, rekindled from time to time to a brief flame, where we flash the spirit of the wolf, and something in our bones tells us 'this is who you are.'
I honestly think RD2 got ke through lockdowns, especially here in Australia where we couldnt leave our home for 2 years. I still play the game today to wind down. I wish I could have land, a horse and just screw around outdoors. Men spent thousands of years living a read dead lifestyle, especially evolving with horses... Then only in the last century, had it all taken a away.
@@ManvsHistory I think it's just what the internet needs. As Mr. Rogers used to say, we live in a world that's very focused on information but rarely focused on reflecting on it. I genuinely hope to see more of these.
@@ianrocco8453 Thanks buddy. I'm in complete agreement. I'm pumped the video resonated with you, and glad to hear that there's others out there that are willing to slow down and reflect on it. Moving forward, I'm debating on whether it's better to make a separate channel to dive deeper into historical masculinity, or try and integrate it via MvH... Just not sure how the deeper reflections will go over with folks who just want to know if they're being ripped off on the price of a can of beans. Nothing wrong with that, but it might not be the what they're looking for.
@@ManvsHistory Considering most of the core gamers are 80s kids in our 40s I think you could put it on this channel and people will appreciate it. Then when we get a new video on the historical accuracy of the price of vampire hunter suits in outlaw pass 4 and efficiently killing zombies we can share a laugh.
Thanks for taking on my inquiry, partner!! Incredibly well-said. By far my favourite channel on this platform. Also, started dying when you pulled out the scroll and read the question in its entirety haha. Thanks for keeping the spirit of the Western frontier alive and well.
By the way, if you're ever looking to add another book to your ever-growing list, you should look into Canada's own Andy Russell. That man changed the way I looked at wildlife, hunting, hunter's ethics, conservation, and the way grizzlies and other often feared native wildlife were perceived. Right up your alley, friend. Thanks again!
Of course, man! Yeah, I still use paper for stuff. Somebody else in the comments mentioned that too. I'm old school, I suppose! Anyway, glad to hear you dug the video! Hope it resonated!
@@ManvsHistory that's probably his finest collection of all things natural world/conservation/wilderness stories. He and your pops would have gotten along just fine up in the high country!
Every time you post a new video I become more convinced I will move to Colorado just to enroll in your class. I practically feel like I am a student in the course Red Dead 101.
There's so much to unpack in this great video. What it reminded me of first was the root of religiousity in the tragedy that human beings must take lives in order to preserve our own life. We have to eat animals and plants (which are also alive) to survive. This leads, in turn, to an ethos of humility and reciprocation... Humility before the awesome and terrible fact that we must all kill to live, and reciprocation in living a life worthy of those sacrifices. It also recollected this past summer when our trips to Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Glacier were cancelled due to Covid and the border closure. My wife and I (heritagehikers on Instagram) ended up exploring more of our own backyard (Alberta Rockies and foothills) than we ever actually have before. We didn't spend a contiguous week in the bush or anything, but even repeat visits to a place had some of that same effect of attuning you to the Zen sensory input of it. Likewise when we spent a day hiking the Grand Canyon. The sublime monotony of it actually did, to a small relative extent, really attune you to what was going on. It was only 14 hours or so, but it also felt like an eternity, in a good way. And I have the same water bottle.
Love reading your interpretation of things, Cory. Pumped to hear when folks understand what I'm trying to articulate- and can unpack it even further. Much like you, I find an incredible peace in nature. Zen. Always have. I'll be sure to check out your instagram. Thanks again!
Quality stuff. I was in the Paras (British Parachute Regiment) and developed a love of the outdoors there and hiking and camping ect. As I’m from basically England’s equivalent of Detroit so it was something I never got to experience growing up. My and my mate who is a former Royal Marine (our reges usually hate each other but we met at football or “soccer”) always hike around the UK (would love to do the states at some point) but thanks to Red Dead my daughter wanted to come one day and now she’s developed a taste for it and it’s great having that time with her... I mean she is only 10 like so probably shouldn’t be playing it but I was playing GTA3 at around that age and I turned out alright... well.. apart from shooting people for a living I suppose.
It’s just that absolutely gorgeous environment they’ve created well, especially parts of Elizabeth, Roanoke Ridge, and Amberino that look like the Rockies, Appalachians, and Alaska. It’s that absolute freedom and ease of being able to just pick up and travel to all the amazing places that not all of us have the privilege of visiting in real life. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Alaska last year and it was amazing. Also the game exploring turn of the century life and culture and just how wild the frontier of the USA was even 120 years ago, without dealing with the shitty aspects like disease, crushing abject poverty, overt racial tensions, one or both of your parents probably being dead(higher frequency than today but still obviously happens) from disease before your 18th birthday, shit labor laws and pay, etc.
It's funny because me and my wife play this game all the time, she loves it. I think she likes the idea of playing as a woman that would normally be pushed into a demeaning role in life, and making her a bad ass bounty hunter. As for me, I just kind of fall into everything you're saying. I grew up in Arkansas, and most of my life I have been hunting and fishing in the outdoors and helping my dad build his sheds and chicken coups. Since I have grown up I moved to Washington with my wife, and I am seemingly working all the time, and hunting and fishing in this state is well...let's just say Arkansas was a bit more relaxed and free. When you go out in nature around where I now live there are about 500 other people in the spot you want to go to, so it's hard to feel any solitude. I miss my old days of being a nature boy. I always had a dream of finding a spot in the woods and building a log cabin, as the days go by that is starting to slip away. Maybe its depressing to say, but this game gives a lot of these things back to me. I hope one day I can go back home, I miss my stomping grounds. Maybe I can find something good here too though. I am working so much it's hard to really get out, but maybe I just haven't found the right place to go to yet.
as a kid i grew up around farm animals, mostly cattle and goats, large fields, and the countryside because my grandpa had a farm, but after he died the land was rented out to non familiar people and I had no reason to leave the suburbs, but when I play RDR2 I love it because it just feels so familiar. the country side, the mountains, the animals, the cowboy hats(lol)
I enjoyed this exploration of RDR2's resonance with certain players on a primitive level. It sort of echoes elements of Sebastian Junger's book "Tribe".
Something struck me at like 23-24, and I suddenly became re-obsessed with portions of my childhood, remembering running through creeks, collecting rocks, etc that later would turn me into a hard rock miner.
Your analogy of what we've become is spot on,we live in & created a sue happy world,so now liability has removed some the ways we do things,we ( myself included) overthink without just enjoying it
I love your vids! I always practically yelp when I get a notification you've posted. I'm so super happy I found this channel. None of my friends really understand why I love RDR, why in that love it also depresses me for what we don't have, or are mocked for loving; nature, group work, survival and just engaging in the non city world. I wish I could just walk into the game and go live in my stilt cabin in Big Valley. As a historian, this channel also meets the educational plus that RDR provides in a way, a first person look at history, to live it, to make the choices and live with them. I'd still love to make a video with you about in game archery and historical archery. I'll disagree a bit about the male/female models in history, especially ancient history; recent finds, (Siberia etc) have shown that women also hunted, First Nations also have a history of women hunting and providing. Hell when I was in Mongolia the women hunters were um, fierce (I hunt, I'd not want to mess with them). Anyway, thank you for your videos, it's great to see an academic who games and shares his knowledge through an awesome game like RDR. PS - good to see the arm is healing!
Thanks for the comment, Rome! I too can understand the desire to 'walk into the game' as you stated. As for ancient hunting (both male and female roles in it), I wrote a long reply to a female on here that addresses that angle. I'd encourage you to read it if you're interested. I can't say I've been to Mongolia or met any of these fierce Mongolian female archers, but I can attest to my own experience as a lifelong archery enthusiast that females can shoot as well as any man.
I just want to say that this video gave me peace. I feel calm thanks to this video. I live in a small town where it's very hard to get out in nature. But I'm always trying to find ways to get out in nature since it makes me feel so good. This video answered all the questions that i had and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that feels or have felt "trapped" in city and feel better out in the wild. Thank you
After being in the fast pace of a City, there’s nothing better than slowly trotting across a moonlit river and into the forested mountains with the sounds of nature all around...
With the lack of risky activities now. A while back I hiked up pikes peak which is relatively easy yet friends and like relatives were baffled at that, as if I climbed Everest or something
I never actually gave ur channel a chance until now but it’s great man! Keep on trucking 👍 I love red dead online and this just Adds to my passion for this hobby. Can I ask what platform you play on? Graphics just look pretty good and I wanna know if it’s x box or pc
I personally love the game because the concept and the act of living off the land through the games mechanics is just so calming and therapeutic. It also helps that the game is gorgeous and the soundtrack is wonderful.
Sir, you have such great content... And this video surpassed my expectations. Solid, well put, in an awesome recording environment! Thank you for your time and effort that you put into your work. I appreciate history a little more with every video of yours that I watch!
I live in the northern Adirondacks of NY and I feel like I’ve made myself miss out on a lot here. I’m only 18 now and it’s a new year so I’m gonna try and make that change, because I absolutely take this area for granted.
Do it, Jack. You're in an amazing area. Nothing restores like nature. One of my best friends lives up there and runs a summer camp. You can actually find him on the comment sections from time to time (his name is 'Siver', FYI). I'm sure he'd say the same thing,. When I was close to your age, a long time back, I built a log cabin on top of a mountain out here in Colorado. It was one of the best experiences of my youth. Gave me a fun project that I worked on from my sophomore year of high school until I graduated. Had all sorts of friends come spend time up there with me once it was completed. Was great for my body, mind, and soul. You don't have to build a cabin, but even taking walks, exploring your area, learning to identify animal signs, trees, rocks, etc is a great step in feeling like you're part of nature. If you haven't, be sure to check out my 'Coffee, Bears, and Bones' video. It'll give you some ideas. Good luck out there, my friend!
@@ManvsHistory Thank you for responding, that doesn’t usually happen with most RUclipsrs I watch. I’m really glad that I just stumbled upon this channel while looking for an outfit to make in red dead online, and I’ll make sure to check out that video.
It interesting that you talk about the transfer into manhood. Through my 20’s and early 30’s I never felt I had reached true manhood. It wasn’t until I was 34 that I got into adventure racing and obstacle racing. It wasn’t until my first 18hr race that I felt I had reached manhood, at the time I was 36. Now I am 41 and now have a lot of adventures under my belt and I feel I have earned manhood.
Very cool, Billy. Dr. Randall Eaton writes about male rites of passages in his superb book, 'From Boys to Men of Heart.' In it he says that 'Without ordeal, without facing real danger, challenge, or hardship beyond the capacity of the conscious mind, the young man never discovers that a greater power is available to him, and that he accesses it through his heart.' It's likely that your 18 hr race pushed you past your conscious physical and mental threshold, and into 'heart.' Historically most rites of passage involved this sort of physical test, achieved through vision walks, fasting, survival challenges, hunting challenges, etc. Anyway, great to hear you're pursuing it. I think most men in the modern world never even consider such things- but it's necessary in order to create a better world through better men.
The best part for me is the history. In that time people had to be tougher and probably smarter in order to survive. Every video I research the history of something else.
Great video, great points! I think this can be applied to alot of other games as well, such as Kingdom Come Deliverance, The Witcher 3 and Skyrim. For me, they let me experience the medieval world (or a more fantastical version of it) without being over the top. Those three games were the soul reason I've gotten so into Medieval history and have tried HEMA/fencing. It's the same with Red Dead. I think that's the best thing about video games. How they can grab hold and make you more interested in the real world around you.
I'm not even 5 seconds into this video. I just want to say that after binging 3 of your previous videos when i should be writing papers... and I want to bare knuckle box you. I mean this with the utmost respect and as a compliment.
Chilling above Big Valley irl. Smh. I'm peanut butter and jelly, and I live in the West. :) Edit: I'm not much of a hunter, but I like to fish. I practice catch and release, and only keep the fish that are foul hooked and will die anyway. It is ALWAYS a solemn occasion when I thank the fish for giving its life to provide sustenance to me. Edit2: Alex Honold, arguably the greatest big wall rock climber in history, cut his teeth climbing those artificial walls as a kid, so it translates, I think.
I'm the same way with fishing. I release almost everything I catch. It's particularly tough when you catch a monster and she doesn't revive herself properly. That's painful.
Great video! I have a deep fascination with psychology and I love Red Dead Redemption, so this is somewhat similar to the type of thing I've thought about before. Awesome to hear your perspective on it. Red Dead has such a wide appeal. My girlfriend loved playing RDR2 because the story of Arthur was so engaging and she is a big animal lover (the attention to detail on the horses was what interested her in Red Dead in the first place). I like it because of the gameplay and general attention to detail in everything. Red Dead Redemption is such a great series. It's a shame the current RDR2 online experience can be abysmal at times.
I think why people are drawn to it or it touches people’s souls is because that the time period the game is set in is almost like a fantasy come to real life. Now real life historically is different from red dead’s portrayal of that time period, but it’s close enough. I also think that because that kind of time period happened and is not too far off, I think some people would like to go back to experience that time period.
"We get entangled in an insoluble contradiction, since the thing that harms is also the thing that heals. Such a paradox is true and permissible only when one sees the opposites as united on a higher plane."-Carl Jung, Psychological Types, 1921 A libidinal, psychosexual interpretation of sexual repression by Carl Jung as expressed through the Spear of Longinus (masculine) that was plunged into Jesus: i.e. that which harms also gives life because Jesus' death brought new life as later conceptualized by the Holy Grail (feminine). I felt like this translated well to what you were saying about "men taking life to preserve life," and the empathy formed through discord.
Thanks Aryus. I think I'm going to be pivoting in the future to more vids on historical masculinity, which will still involve hunting, but also focus on what historical virtues made men, men- and reflecting upon that in our modern world.
I love our modern world so much because it allows people to throw off the societal expectations, for example men being hunters and women just childbearing and cooking housewives. We CAN live those lifestyles if we want, but we are increasingly giving ourself more freedom to be ourselves in an increasingly hectic world. Men can be househusbands, women can be warriors. Nothing is better than the individual's right to be their own kind of individual. This is why I LOVE history. We can learn from the past, both good and bad. We can write our own stories but copy off the homework of those who came before us because they uploaded the textbook online, so to speak lol
Rockstar made a game that would be enjoyed by both women and men, since both are their customers. Just because it (and most games that focus on hunting/warring) intentionally target male neurology doesn't mean the experience won't be enjoyed by women. RD has an amazing story, and beautiful open world, and it's a hell of a lot of fun. In addition to being set in a very popular historical era, things like immersion in nature, adventure, creative problem solving, exploration, animals, etc appeal to most people, regardless of gender. Female neurology tends to center more around social and community interests- and to Rockstar's credit, they do a good job of providing us with tools to create a robust community of friends, which allow the game to also be a social experience. It's interesting that if one looks at statistics, there's a 2017 report from the video game analytics company Quantic Foundry, that shows that 70% of the players in games like the Sims, or farming simulators are women- yet women only account for 7% of gamers in Grand Strategy, First-Person/ Tactical shooters. In other words, males are much more likely to enjoy fast-paced action/combat, want to compete with each other and destroy things, while women prefer in-game communication and interpersonal relationships (character development and plot dynamics), want to immerse themselves in other worlds and complete challenges. Games that focus on hunting/warring are specifically developed to get to the male brain on a primal level. And they do a great job of it. Most of us know we like those games, but we rarely stop to think about why we like them, from where that interest originates, or why there is such a disparity in the gender of the players. Eible-Eibesfeldt, a German ethologist, studied over 60 cultures globally. In his work he found that in ALL of them, little boys between the ages of 4 and 5 compete with each other throwing stones- and girls don't. Some people in our modern age would like to say that throwing stones is encouraged by men, or imitated by boys, or that little girls are discouraged from throwing stones. The problem is that there is no evidence to support that objection. Little boys throw stones whether adult men throw them or throw nothing at all. The shaping and throwing of stones as weapons for hunting or defense may go back millions of years among our ancestors. It's appearance at a predictable age among humans males indicates that it is firmly established in the developmental blueprint of males,' but not in females. The Austrian psychologist (and University of Chicago/ Stanford professor), Bruno Bettleheim, did a study on children’s dreams and found that at about age four, boys began to dream about big predators, while girls began dreaming about spiders and snakes. Of course, this is particularly interesting seeing that the great threat to grown males throughout most of human history has been big predators; the threat to gathering/ domestic women has been snakes and spiders. Additionally, studies have found that a large percentage of boys spontaneously kill animals. Girls don’t. It can’t be imitation since these days few boys actually witness any adult males hunting. Throughout ancient human history, it was common for women to hunt, trap, and kill small game. Pygmy women participated in hunting larger game via cooperative 'net hunting', but even in this case it was the responsibility of adult males to dispatch larger animals. Groups of Pygmy women clubbed duikers (small antelope about the size of a domestic cat) to death in a net, while Pygmy men killed full-grown elephants on their own. The only anthropological case of females hunting the same species as men was among the Aka in the Philippines, but even in this case we must recognize the total absence of big predators- which were much more dangerous to women hunters than men. Had there been large predators living amongst the Aka, based upon the rest of human history outside the Philippines, women wouldn't have hunted them. There are physiological reasons for this. Compared to women, men on average, have twice the upper body strength as women, and significantly higher grip strength. Men also have about 56% greater cardiovascular capacity (lung volume), more clotting factors, and their wounds heal faster. They also have denser, stronger bones, tendons, and ligaments. And a greater capacity for muscular hypertrophy. Men were also more expendable from a reproductive standpoint, in that a tribe with 50 women and 5 men were in a much better position long term than a tribe of 50 men and 5 women. Consider the birth rate potential of each. A lack of birth control also meant that women were often likely to be pregnant, and therefore far less mobile- making them more of a liability on the hunt, and also exposing them to greater potential danger. And to be clear, the evolution of gender differences is related to the survival and success of both sexes. It is not a matter of one being better than the other, but strictly a matter of each being better adapted to perform certain functions. Men can gather and they do; women can kill smaller game and they do. Men are significantly adapted to hunt and kill big game. Women aren’t. Today of course, women are just as capable as men of using a high-powered rifle to kill an elk or a grizzly bear… and some do. That said, I strongly promote and encourage hunting for females as well. I know many that love it, and I think it's awesome that they do it. If I ever have a daughter, hunting will be a big part of her upbringing. It's incredibly beneficial in teaching and fostering patience, courage, fortitude, generosity, humility, a reflection of spirituality, compassion, inner peace, cooperation, respect for living things, gratitude, creativity, moral reflection, and more. Additionally, hunters have historically been the foremost environmental conservationists, so I want there to be as many hunters as possible. But hunting is neurologically different for men, due to its primal connections.
I've felt the appeal is much more direct. RDR2 is a chance to participate in every western book or movie you've ever loved, all rolled up into one virtual interactive sandbox. But that being said, you do have a point about how there is a lack of a manhood rite of passage. But you'd have to go a LOT further back than the old west to find it in common practice among any european societies. A good seven or eight hundred year earlier The closest approximation would arguably be apprenticeships over the last millenium, which very few kids were ever lucky enough to get picked for. Most were born serfs, and died that way too. The only thing they knew was sustenance farming & highly localized supplementary diet foraging. The only rite of passage was marriage, by whatever informal local custom the peasantry went by. In most of the world you were considered an adult as soon as you could reach over your head with your right arm and cup your left ear with your palm functionally up until `1906(roughly five or six, tops).
Hey Brian. To clarify, in the video I'm referring to male rites of passage across the globe, primarily before the transition to agriculture (for those people that did so), overwhelmingly via hunting. So 'most of human history' if you will. Not Euro-American rites of passage during the 'Old West'- which it seems both of us agree aren't really rites of passage at all. It's funny to think that one might 'become a man' just by touching their ear or getting married.
After surgery I wasn't able to use my left hand for a while. Just getting back to it now and working on a new 'Historical Accuracy Of...' video. Planning on doing a TotW vid after that.
The idea of living back in the 1800's seems really cool to me, everyone had to work for everything. Nothing was handed to them like it is today and I think that is why this world is going such downhill. A man in overalls created America, and a man in a suit is destroying America. The difference, is truly amazing.
You recording from Big Valley? Lol
He in Tall trees😳
Looks that way! I suppose that's why I'm always up in Big Valley. Feels like home :)
nah hes in cumberland forest becuase the trees are very similar
Watch for Timberwolves.
Looks like Montana
That game touched my soul to the point where I just left Texas and now live in Alaska and want to pursue hunting and fishing, living off the land, and escaping "modern society"
Awesome man! Sounds like you're living the dream!
@Saxon HELL YEAH!
This sir, is what i wish to do, Alaska or Canada
That's awesome dude, good job achieving your dream.👌💪👍
@No Body it can be done, but it's very hard
I love how you pulling out good old sheet of paper with records made by hand instead of using smartphone or laptop. 👍
I'm old school, what can I say.
@@ManvsHistory and that is great 👍
What's the difference
@@majik5194
Nothing some people just think tech makes you less smart and less efficient for some reason even though it’s the opposite
I like your profile pic Boris
I love the romanticized way of living back in this time period. Of course, knowing that it was also a hell of a time to be alive as a woman, the beauty of living off the land, partnership with your circle and your animals, and self sustainability is what gets me!
Very cool, Ashley! And don't forget about the science experiments!
@@ManvsHistory that is ALWAYS a good time! 😁
i sometimes think about living in the 1800s while life was much harder back then i feel humans generally felt a sense of purpose higher than we do in todays corperate world...i wish i could of experienced it.
Could you please make a video on how women would dress historically, and their multiple roles? Such as the woman’s temperance league (suffragists/activists) or the beginnings of the Red Cross (nurses) or even what Annie Oakley would wear, and the multiple firearms she would use, or the multiple various other women of great historical value? Please and thank you
Tfw generally women were way happier and led fulfilling lives raising their families back then whereas in the progressive modern world, women are more depressed and unfulfilled than ever before in human history because of this hyper focus on college and careers at the expense of their entire youth, missing out on their short window to birth children and raise families. It is scientifically proven that women are happier staying home and raising their children. It’s truly sad how fucked up the modern world is yet people cope and convince themselves that things were worse back then even though we were all happier and had real purpose to our lives.
“Were dogs but our ancestors were wolfs” such a cool quote! Thanks sir I learned a lot
Really is a great quote.
@@zakk94 sure thing mr. anime profile picture xD
@@Jan-WillemLodewijkdederde okay mr. Want to be Viking
@@zakk94 you left 7 comments because I called you out on your profile picture. Such a wolf action. Look man I’m not trying to offend you, I don’t know how old you are. I just thought that comment was kind of funny.
@@Jan-WillemLodewijkdederde I'm constantly offended in angry I'm sick of people making fun of how I look and what I like I hate this Society and I hate this world and I'm not ashamed to say that we live in the worst generation ever I've never my life seems so many people criticize and talk crap about how someone looks and what they wear and I'm sick of it all want is to be myself
RDR2 really makes you enjoy the landscape itself. It doesn't feel like a terrain you have to pass through or some "empty" lands. When I first played the game I finished it in a rush because that's the way most games are intended to be played. But the second time I played it I began to stop and observe things that I didn't even notice before. I began to enjoy being all alone in the wild watching animals and taking photos of them. Even fishing became a really fun activity. Goddamn, I can assure you that the 95% of the time I played the game was spent on just fishing and traveling from desert to snowy mountains. And making split point rounds
Same here. I still play singleplayer in a rush since it's my first playthrough and I'm really curious about what happens (also to be safe from spoilers hahaha), but I was playing online with a friend that same way and it just felt so... weird. I was playing like any other game, just going straight from point A to point B, with the sole objective of completing the mission to see those numbers representing my money get bigger, 80% of the time looking into my expanded minimap to check the route or nearby enemies. It just felt like I was playing the game wrongly. Not really enjoying the most that I could from it, not being fair with the big and detailed world it has.
Then I made another character, a more roleplay oriented one. No minimap, playing the game a lot slower, taking my time to do things, etc. And it's amazing. Hunting in the wilds or just walking with my horse is very relaxing, and sometimes I log into it and don't even do any mission, just chill around the map. Oh, and fishing. Fishing is the best HAHAHAHA
There's been many times when i have been playing rdo and i just stop doing what i am doing ( so long as its not a timed thing), and just look at the view. Especially if i am in the high part of the Ambarino or the Grizzlies, or just take a moment and enjoy a bit of fishing at Calumet Ravine. Seeing a part of the world/game untouched or at least my man.
ALWAYS
You can hear the terrible yellow flys buzzing around you in the swamp without actually having to get bitten constantly. Perfect. It’s a very romanticized version of the forest and hunting. No briar thickets and animals everywhere.
This was a really good video I really felt it and everyone really should spend more time outside in nature.
Id love to go hiking in those Colorado mountains they look amazing
Thanks, Harry! I'm pumped it resonated with you, man. Colorado is pretty great, but I grew up in Iowa and I always thought the woods there just as great... only different. Thanks for the comment!
Anybody else truly think the first couple of seconds was footage of New Hanover? God rockstar snapped...
Just goes to show the graphical superiority of that game, the first few seconds had me fooled too 👍
I believe this explains why gamers love Arthur more than John Marston
I don't know man, I feel like a lot of gamers love John Marston. I think it depends when you got introduced to Red Dead. John was the OG of the cowboy games. I think people whose first introduction to RD was the 2nd one, they aren't going to have the tie to John like people who played the first game first. I love Arthur, but I'll always love John more.
I still prefer John.
@@antthomas7916 Absolutely, my introduction to John when RDR1 first came out, got me hooked on westerns.
John Marston is all things to all men as far as I'm concerned.
I prefer john as well, he simply has a more complete character arc. Arthur is fantastic but you only see the last, what, year of his life?
@@antthomas7916 I don't know, I played the first game first, and I would consider John to be a pale shadow of Arthur, just as Jack was a pale shadow of John in the epilog of the first game
Its crazy how accurate this is because when i go hiking alone on a hidden trail that can be dangerous my senses really do pick up and i hear, see and smell everything waaaaaay more ready for a predator
Hehe, _WE are the predator my friend_
@@zkittlezthabanditt604 Not when your being followed by a brown bear.
@@ihatepartisans.7198 Eh, I guess that's true, and yes it kinda depends. Overall, we are definitely the predators, and very recent studies showed that we were 'Super Apex Predators', and our ancestors very often hunt down and killed whole elephants and mammoths, killed tigers, lions, cheetahs, panthers, etc., but the thing is, we are very intelligent. With our combined intelligence and a group of other beings, we can accomplish many, many things. Before these studies, it was thought that for all of our evolution we mostly ate berries, grains, seeds, veggies, fruit, etc. Only with some meat, but it turns out that only started about 11,700 years ago, and for 2 million years the large majority of our meals were meat, and scientists also believe that this may be largely due to the Ice Age that occurred. We are the predators, my friend!
I have only played RDOL for a few hours but, I played the storyline four times now. (I only went through as Marston once.) I enjoy the story play better because I like to listen to Arthur's musings. You can still do the hunting, exploring, gun fighting and travelling but, you get to know the man better. I can never make myself play a dishonorable Arthur...doesn't feel right.
What's rdol did you misspell or something also if you did misspell how did you finish the storyline in a few hours
@@ThehoodieGuy. RDOL stands for Red Dead Online . Craig never said he finished the game in a few hours. He finished the story mode several times . Then he played the RDOL ( Red Dead Online ) for a few hours .
This definitely explains that elusive itch and why RDR2 is is such a satisfying scratch.
I've never played this game to blast thru it, but more so to live thru a time and landscape that in my opinion, makes sense to most of us, compared to society today.
Thumbs up for the great viewers question and you taking the time to shed some light.
Well said, Swindell!
Couldn’t agree more! I tried to touch on this idea in my own RDR2 game review, but couldn’t quite put my finger on what exactly it was. This makes a lot of sense! I mean the game inspired me to pick up my BB gun for the first time in years for some target practice (I’m a girl). And don’t even get me started on horses. I rediscovered my love for horses and am looking forward to being a stable hand temporarily this month for my friend!
Long overdue response, but this makes me happy. Hope you're well, Bethany.
I love history. In a matter of fact I reenact the civil war. Red dead gives me a chance to still get the feeling of history and nature just as a tactical or reenactment would. I can't afford a pc so I can't play war of rights but red dead is a great second option. Sure it doesn't take place in the 1860s but it takes place far enough back where I still get that sense of how it used to be. When boys were more manly then grown men of today. When a 13 year old kid would take up a rifle and provide for his family, instead of a 30 year old man today protesting about hunting in any regard. It's a masterpiece. Until you get griefed by a dude in a pink feathered flop hat and a rifle that shoots explosive rounds.
I dig your reflection, Crusader. I think our modern society pushes men to become 'good men'- but there's no push to make men good at 'being men.' Big difference there.
@@ManvsHistory "Most of the great people I met, they weren't good people." -Mike Tyson
That's why I think NASA will be surprised by how many volunteers they'll get for one way trips for pioneer colonists on Mars.
Its interesting you bring up the constant stimulus that technology gives us. The best thing I have done is get rid of my smartphone, its been 2 months and I couldn't be happier. Its not the most convenient thing but it has allowed me to spend my time doing "better" things; whether thats reconnecting with nature, being more passionate about making music or just generally spending my time more meaningfully than endlessly scrolling on a glowing rectangle. Its funny how you don't realize the drain that constant stimulus has on you until you get rid of it
Exactly. It's like cutting out sugar. You don't realize how it impacts your mind and body until you get rid of it. Most folks feel like completely different people once they do. It's the same with tech. Just so hard to avoid both nowadays! Glad to hear you stepped away from the smartphone. You're ahead of me, Chridfer!
I recently started playing RDO not that long ago, but I only really like playing with others, not alone. I've found that I get more fun out of assisting rather than leading. On bounty hunts, I like the coordination of taking down enemies together, and I like to keep enemies from getting to my allies. In hunting, I sort of like helping to track the prey down, but I feel more pride in taking the carcass back to camp while the others stay out in the field to keep hunting. Also, I feel a little pride when people notice I made food at the camp, and they all gather round to make use of it.
Also, I like driving my tomahawk into the torsos of my enemies, ripping it back out with meaty chunks clinging to the blade.
Awesome comment, Zero Fighter. I wrote a long reply somewhere in these comments to a person asking why women like the game, I think that, regardless of gender, the game offers something for everyone. You can play it however you want, and make it what you will. I prefer hunting solo far away from everyone, but love running missions with small groups of friends. I also really like just sitting by campfires, as silly as it may sound.
Zero Fighter love the hammer thud and then some st. Denis stew.
@@joshholden9360
I don't really enjoy the game, but I get a small bit of satisfaction at being able to play around with my lesser Native American (Lakota Sioux) heritage, dressing up in glorified, generalized 'Native attire', and running around with knives and tomahawks, brutally murdering 'the pale-faced monsters'. Of course, that's all in humor among my friends, and none of us actually hold such racist values. We just like to joke around about it due to the game's setting, and because of historical context. We think it's funny. Basically, I just like playing with my friends who happen to be playing RDO, and I make my own fun out of it.
@@joshholden9360 It's satisfying, right?
Bro, I feel the same. I've been playing since April, and I've gotten to a point to where I'm able to assist other players with anything they need done. Whenever we're in a shootout, I like to focus on one side of the area (aka my side) and let my partner deal with their side, and whenever they need help I'll take care of both sides at the same time to give them a moment to heal up. I'm not much of a leader tho, and I don't like being one. I like being off on my own adventures by myself, and helping/being apart of someone else's when they need me. But yea, I totally agree with you.
Btw sorry for typing alot
:D
I totally agree with what you said, I just got back from a two day motocamping trip with my buddy. It was rainy and windy and just generally miserable but at the same time, one of the most enjoyable things to do.
Agreed. I love testing myself in nature. The worse the weather, the greater the self confidence I acquire in my skills and fortitude come the end of it.
The longing of a time before the time one was alive can be traced as back as the first civilizations. I can recall a video about an ancient Sumerian song talking about even ancient times. It sort of all traces back to our primitive origins as hunters and gatherers, all the modern stress is a remanent of our ancestor surviving in those times against large predators and equally large game like mammoths, giant sloths, and armadillos.
Well said, Crurned!
This video has some points for me because I have ground in countryside surrounded by fiealds and forests.
I tried city-life for a few months but there is no another when watching sunrise over the pine forest.
Lol, well, I don't know why exactly but I actually get some anxiety when I go to far into the country because it's to lonely, so I'm forever gonna remain in the city
@@zkittlezthabanditt604 No one asked
Imagine being that 1 person that disliked this video.
clearly a pained and uneducated individual.
Ha! It's all good man.
@Floppsy fluffy You don’t have to dislike it, just don’t click on it lol or click off it
@@jstone8513 they think they are comedy gold
13 sheltered soyboys disliked this video
I've been backpacking up very remote trails, and I've got to say it was one of the most, if not THE most exciting and fun thing I've ever done. My longest hike was only 6 miles, but it was all uphill with 40lbs on my back. Once I got to the top of the trail it was the most satisfying feeling I've ever had. Plus nature seems to remove any stress I have at the time.
Heck yeah!
Fascinating (and undoubtedly true) take! I grew up in the Australian outback and now I live in the city with very few avenues to get into the country. What you're saying really resonates me, I'm 19 and honestly don't have much ambition career-wise, I really just want to go and live off the land on a small farm or something... Shame that's something that doesn't seem to be particularly 'tolerated' by society... Great video!
I've gotten a lot of comments from folks on here about feeling the same way- disconnected from nature, frustrated with city life, and longing for the wilderness, danger, and freedom. As I say in the video, we're domesticated versions of our ancestors- we're dogs, but they were wolves. We might be living in a world of technology and bubble-wrapped safety-ism, but there will always still be those primal embers burning low, rekindled from time to time to a brief flame, where we flash the spirit of the wolf, and something in our bones tells us 'this is who you are.'
I honestly think RD2 got ke through lockdowns, especially here in Australia where we couldnt leave our home for 2 years. I still play the game today to wind down. I wish I could have land, a horse and just screw around outdoors. Men spent thousands of years living a read dead lifestyle, especially evolving with horses... Then only in the last century, had it all taken a away.
Yeah, I heard you guys were locked down pretty strict. Seems crazy to me how they handled it down there.
Man vs history phycological think pieces. Love it man keep it comming.
Thanks, Rocco, just hope it wasn't too heavy a reflection! Glad you enjoyed it.
@@ManvsHistory I think it's just what the internet needs. As Mr. Rogers used to say, we live in a world that's very focused on information but rarely focused on reflecting on it. I genuinely hope to see more of these.
@@ianrocco8453 Thanks buddy. I'm in complete agreement. I'm pumped the video resonated with you, and glad to hear that there's others out there that are willing to slow down and reflect on it. Moving forward, I'm debating on whether it's better to make a separate channel to dive deeper into historical masculinity, or try and integrate it via MvH... Just not sure how the deeper reflections will go over with folks who just want to know if they're being ripped off on the price of a can of beans. Nothing wrong with that, but it might not be the what they're looking for.
@@ManvsHistory Considering most of the core gamers are 80s kids in our 40s I think you could put it on this channel and people will appreciate it. Then when we get a new video on the historical accuracy of the price of vampire hunter suits in outlaw pass 4 and efficiently killing zombies we can share a laugh.
Thanks for taking on my inquiry, partner!! Incredibly well-said. By far my favourite channel on this platform.
Also, started dying when you pulled out the scroll and read the question in its entirety haha. Thanks for keeping the spirit of the Western frontier alive and well.
By the way, if you're ever looking to add another book to your ever-growing list, you should look into Canada's own Andy Russell. That man changed the way I looked at wildlife, hunting, hunter's ethics, conservation, and the way grizzlies and other often feared native wildlife were perceived. Right up your alley, friend. Thanks again!
Of course, man! Yeah, I still use paper for stuff. Somebody else in the comments mentioned that too. I'm old school, I suppose!
Anyway, glad to hear you dug the video! Hope it resonated!
Just ordered Russell's 'Trails of a Wilderness Wanderer.' Looking forward to reading it! Appreciate the recommendation!
@@ManvsHistory that's probably his finest collection of all things natural world/conservation/wilderness stories. He and your pops would have gotten along just fine up in the high country!
@@catchandreliess I'm sure of it. Thanks again for the recommendation, Connor!
Every time you post a new video I become more convinced I will move to Colorado just to enroll in your class. I practically feel like I am a student in the course Red Dead 101.
Great compliment, my friend. Appreciate that.
I live near a nice forest here in Germany and Love going there but your Outside is just somthing different
The U.S. has some of the most beautiful , scenic states in the entire world . 🙂
There's so much to unpack in this great video. What it reminded me of first was the root of religiousity in the tragedy that human beings must take lives in order to preserve our own life. We have to eat animals and plants (which are also alive) to survive. This leads, in turn, to an ethos of humility and reciprocation... Humility before the awesome and terrible fact that we must all kill to live, and reciprocation in living a life worthy of those sacrifices.
It also recollected this past summer when our trips to Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Glacier were cancelled due to Covid and the border closure. My wife and I (heritagehikers on Instagram) ended up exploring more of our own backyard (Alberta Rockies and foothills) than we ever actually have before. We didn't spend a contiguous week in the bush or anything, but even repeat visits to a place had some of that same effect of attuning you to the Zen sensory input of it. Likewise when we spent a day hiking the Grand Canyon. The sublime monotony of it actually did, to a small relative extent, really attune you to what was going on. It was only 14 hours or so, but it also felt like an eternity, in a good way.
And I have the same water bottle.
Love reading your interpretation of things, Cory. Pumped to hear when folks understand what I'm trying to articulate- and can unpack it even further. Much like you, I find an incredible peace in nature. Zen. Always have. I'll be sure to check out your instagram. Thanks again!
Great video!!! Glad to see that you got better!!!!
Deep but i needed this info on why i love RDO so much, even the bonding with my favourite horse. Brilliant video, thank you
Quality stuff. I was in the Paras (British Parachute Regiment) and developed a love of the outdoors there and hiking and camping ect. As I’m from basically England’s equivalent of Detroit so it was something I never got to experience growing up. My and my mate who is a former Royal Marine (our reges usually hate each other but we met at football or “soccer”) always hike around the UK (would love to do the states at some point) but thanks to Red Dead my daughter wanted to come one day and now she’s developed a taste for it and it’s great having that time with her... I mean she is only 10 like so probably shouldn’t be playing it but I was playing GTA3 at around that age and I turned out alright... well.. apart from shooting people for a living I suppose.
Thanks for the comment, buddy!
It’s just that absolutely gorgeous environment they’ve created well, especially parts of Elizabeth, Roanoke Ridge, and Amberino that look like the Rockies, Appalachians, and Alaska. It’s that absolute freedom and ease of being able to just pick up and travel to all the amazing places that not all of us have the privilege of visiting in real life. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Alaska last year and it was amazing. Also the game exploring turn of the century life and culture and just how wild the frontier of the USA was even 120 years ago, without dealing with the shitty aspects like disease, crushing abject poverty, overt racial tensions, one or both of your parents probably being dead(higher frequency than today but still obviously happens) from disease before your 18th birthday, shit labor laws and pay, etc.
I love the outdoors I get bored of being in industrial areas all the time it's nice to leave the dump to go out camping out to the outdoors.
It's funny because me and my wife play this game all the time, she loves it. I think she likes the idea of playing as a woman that would normally be pushed into a demeaning role in life, and making her a bad ass bounty hunter. As for me, I just kind of fall into everything you're saying. I grew up in Arkansas, and most of my life I have been hunting and fishing in the outdoors and helping my dad build his sheds and chicken coups. Since I have grown up I moved to Washington with my wife, and I am seemingly working all the time, and hunting and fishing in this state is well...let's just say Arkansas was a bit more relaxed and free. When you go out in nature around where I now live there are about 500 other people in the spot you want to go to, so it's hard to feel any solitude. I miss my old days of being a nature boy. I always had a dream of finding a spot in the woods and building a log cabin, as the days go by that is starting to slip away. Maybe its depressing to say, but this game gives a lot of these things back to me. I hope one day I can go back home, I miss my stomping grounds. Maybe I can find something good here too though. I am working so much it's hard to really get out, but maybe I just haven't found the right place to go to yet.
as a kid i grew up around farm animals, mostly cattle and goats, large fields, and the countryside because my grandpa had a farm, but after he died the land was rented out to non familiar people and I had no reason to leave the suburbs, but when I play RDR2 I love it because it just feels so familiar. the country side, the mountains, the animals, the cowboy hats(lol)
I enjoyed this exploration of RDR2's resonance with certain players on a primitive level.
It sort of echoes elements of Sebastian Junger's book "Tribe".
Something struck me at like 23-24, and I suddenly became re-obsessed with portions of my childhood, remembering running through creeks, collecting rocks, etc that later would turn me into a hard rock miner.
Your analogy of what we've become is spot on,we live in & created a sue happy world,so now liability has removed some the ways we do things,we ( myself included) overthink without just enjoying it
Thanks, David. Yeah, we miss out on some amazing experiences when we try and bubble wrap everything.
Damn this really connected to me and I also cant do what you are doing including you sitting right next to an edge of a cliff.
Glad it resonated with you!
Man! Yu living in paradise, Colorado is incredibly beautiful,
Ha! Thank you, Scott. I'm grateful to be up here.
I love your vids! I always practically yelp when I get a notification you've posted. I'm so super happy I found this channel. None of my friends really understand why I love RDR, why in that love it also depresses me for what we don't have, or are mocked for loving; nature, group work, survival and just engaging in the non city world. I wish I could just walk into the game and go live in my stilt cabin in Big Valley. As a historian, this channel also meets the educational plus that RDR provides in a way, a first person look at history, to live it, to make the choices and live with them. I'd still love to make a video with you about in game archery and historical archery.
I'll disagree a bit about the male/female models in history, especially ancient history; recent finds, (Siberia etc) have shown that women also hunted, First Nations also have a history of women hunting and providing. Hell when I was in Mongolia the women hunters were um, fierce (I hunt, I'd not want to mess with them). Anyway, thank you for your videos, it's great to see an academic who games and shares his knowledge through an awesome game like RDR.
PS - good to see the arm is healing!
Thanks for the comment, Rome! I too can understand the desire to 'walk into the game' as you stated. As for ancient hunting (both male and female roles in it), I wrote a long reply to a female on here that addresses that angle. I'd encourage you to read it if you're interested.
I can't say I've been to Mongolia or met any of these fierce Mongolian female archers, but I can attest to my own experience as a lifelong archery enthusiast that females can shoot as well as any man.
I just want to say that this video gave me peace. I feel calm thanks to this video.
I live in a small town where it's very hard to get out in nature. But I'm always trying to find ways to get out in nature since it makes me feel so good.
This video answered all the questions that i had and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that feels or have felt "trapped" in city and feel better out in the wild.
Thank you
This is awesome to hear, Gent! Anytime my videos can make an impact it makes me proud and happy. Stay well, my friend!
@@ManvsHistory Thank you man! I appreciate it. Take care
After being in the fast pace of a City, there’s nothing better than slowly trotting across a moonlit river and into the forested mountains with the sounds of nature all around...
I concur.
With the lack of risky activities now. A while back I hiked up pikes peak which is relatively easy yet friends and like relatives were baffled at that, as if I climbed Everest or something
Ha! I get it. My family looks at me the same way.
This is a very informative video, made me think a lot. Thanks!
Thanks for watching it, Julian!
Another thoughtful interesting video keep up the great work your doing
You gotta try and get you and your dad on the meat eater podcast.
That would be the greatest thing ever. Big fans of Rinella. Love his stuff.
@@ManvsHistory it would be awesome, Maybe even get in on an episode!
I never actually gave ur channel a chance until now but it’s great man! Keep on trucking 👍 I love red dead online and this just Adds to my passion for this hobby. Can I ask what platform you play on? Graphics just look pretty good and I wanna know if it’s x box or pc
Thanks, Hardcor. I'm on Xbox.
this is a grate new format keep it up
Thank you, Wyatt. Sincerely glad you enjoyed it.
I personally love the game because the concept and the act of living off the land through the games mechanics is just so calming and therapeutic. It also helps that the game is gorgeous and the soundtrack is wonderful.
Thank you for showing some of that beautiful area. Makes me jealous and also inspired.
Amazing vid, great and sweet little talk about nature and humanity.. such interesting and contemplative things to think about.
Very kind of you, Rodfer. Thanks man.
you’re one of my favourite you tubers i love what you do your videos are really interesting keep up the good work
There’s like hundreds of games that made me feel what you’re describing
Sir, you have such great content... And this video surpassed my expectations. Solid, well put, in an awesome recording environment! Thank you for your time and effort that you put into your work. I appreciate history a little more with every video of yours that I watch!
Thank you, Zach! I really appreciate that!
I live in the northern Adirondacks of NY and I feel like I’ve made myself miss out on a lot here. I’m only 18 now and it’s a new year so I’m gonna try and make that change, because I absolutely take this area for granted.
Do it, Jack. You're in an amazing area. Nothing restores like nature. One of my best friends lives up there and runs a summer camp. You can actually find him on the comment sections from time to time (his name is 'Siver', FYI). I'm sure he'd say the same thing,. When I was close to your age, a long time back, I built a log cabin on top of a mountain out here in Colorado. It was one of the best experiences of my youth. Gave me a fun project that I worked on from my sophomore year of high school until I graduated. Had all sorts of friends come spend time up there with me once it was completed. Was great for my body, mind, and soul. You don't have to build a cabin, but even taking walks, exploring your area, learning to identify animal signs, trees, rocks, etc is a great step in feeling like you're part of nature. If you haven't, be sure to check out my 'Coffee, Bears, and Bones' video. It'll give you some ideas. Good luck out there, my friend!
@@ManvsHistory Thank you for responding, that doesn’t usually happen with most RUclipsrs I watch. I’m really glad that I just stumbled upon this channel while looking for an outfit to make in red dead online, and I’ll make sure to check out that video.
@@jackfinnegan2217 You bet, Jack! Good luck out there!
I always thought about this,feels good to see a video about it from a knowledgeable man
It interesting that you talk about the transfer into manhood. Through my 20’s and early 30’s I never felt I had reached true manhood. It wasn’t until I was 34 that I got into adventure racing and obstacle racing. It wasn’t until my first 18hr race that I felt I had reached manhood, at the time I was 36. Now I am 41 and now have a lot of adventures under my belt and I feel I have earned manhood.
Very cool, Billy. Dr. Randall Eaton writes about male rites of passages in his superb book, 'From Boys to Men of Heart.' In it he says that 'Without ordeal, without facing real danger, challenge, or hardship beyond the capacity of the conscious mind, the young man never discovers that a greater power is available to him, and that he accesses it through his heart.' It's likely that your 18 hr race pushed you past your conscious physical and mental threshold, and into 'heart.' Historically most rites of passage involved this sort of physical test, achieved through vision walks, fasting, survival challenges, hunting challenges, etc. Anyway, great to hear you're pursuing it. I think most men in the modern world never even consider such things- but it's necessary in order to create a better world through better men.
You’re very lucky to have a place like that so close!
Love these types of videos, keep it up ❤️
The best part for me is the history. In that time people had to be tougher and probably smarter in order to survive. Every video I research the history of something else.
Dog/Wolf analogy is interesting. Thought of my dog, chasing squirrels, but having no idea what to do when she would catch up with one.
Ha! Mine's the same way. She's got the instincts, but gets some sort of error code in her brain at the last minute. Thanks for watching, Evan.
Love it man keep with this.
Great video, great points! I think this can be applied to alot of other games as well, such as Kingdom Come Deliverance, The Witcher 3 and Skyrim. For me, they let me experience the medieval world (or a more fantastical version of it) without being over the top. Those three games were the soul reason I've gotten so into Medieval history and have tried HEMA/fencing. It's the same with Red Dead. I think that's the best thing about video games. How they can grab hold and make you more interested in the real world around you.
100%!
Appreciate the Iowa love, brother! Keep up the great content
Of course, buddy!
I completely agree! As I stuff my face with mint chocolate chip gelato, sitting on a recliner in AC.
I wish I lived in the hills around my grandparents they live in the hills I love it when I go there
Jesus I looked at the thumbnail and thought it was a background shot from the game. I don't know what's real anymore T_T
Love your vids man.. keep it up!!
I'm not even 5 seconds into this video. I just want to say that after binging 3 of your previous videos when i should be writing papers... and I want to bare knuckle box you. I mean this with the utmost respect and as a compliment.
Ha! This is such a great compliment!
What a beautiful video. Keep up the great work and God bless you!!
"Our brains have developped to respond to hunting, being in nature and being in a group to accomplish goals"
Me: "Purty horseys!"
Chilling above Big Valley irl. Smh. I'm peanut butter and jelly, and I live in the West. :)
Edit: I'm not much of a hunter, but I like to fish. I practice catch and release, and only keep the fish that are foul hooked and will die anyway. It is ALWAYS a solemn occasion when I thank the fish for giving its life to provide sustenance to me.
Edit2: Alex Honold, arguably the greatest big wall rock climber in history, cut his teeth climbing those artificial walls as a kid, so it translates, I think.
I'm the same way with fishing. I release almost everything I catch. It's particularly tough when you catch a monster and she doesn't revive herself properly. That's painful.
Great video! I have a deep fascination with psychology and I love Red Dead Redemption, so this is somewhat similar to the type of thing I've thought about before. Awesome to hear your perspective on it.
Red Dead has such a wide appeal. My girlfriend loved playing RDR2 because the story of Arthur was so engaging and she is a big animal lover (the attention to detail on the horses was what interested her in Red Dead in the first place). I like it because of the gameplay and general attention to detail in everything.
Red Dead Redemption is such a great series. It's a shame the current RDR2 online experience can be abysmal at times.
Very cool, Anon. Yeah, it's not perfect, but the details are insanely great, and they did a tremendous job of creating a living world. Kudos to them.
I want more vlogs of you just walking through the woods
Will do. I'll be doing a lot more outdoor vids as the weather transitions. Stay tuned.
AMAZING VIDEO!! I learned a lot!
This game can hold lots of history sometimes I reenact the mexican revolution or a mountain man in the fur trade. Or even just a regular outlaw
Good vid dude, very philosophical 🤠👍
Thanks for stopping in and leaving a comment as always, Toastrack. Glad you enjoyed it, buddy.
Absolutely right.
Now the rite of passage is to hunt a legendary animal in Red Dead Online. :)
8:55 my mind just exploded
Ha! Thanks, Brady.
Awesome video, man
I think why people are drawn to it or it touches people’s souls is because that the time period the game is set in is almost like a fantasy come to real life. Now real life historically is different from red dead’s portrayal of that time period, but it’s close enough. I also think that because that kind of time period happened and is not too far off, I think some people would like to go back to experience that time period.
Great video good take and enjoyable watch
"We get entangled in an insoluble contradiction, since the thing that harms is also the thing that heals. Such a paradox is true and permissible only when one sees the opposites as united on a higher plane."-Carl Jung, Psychological Types, 1921
A libidinal, psychosexual interpretation of sexual repression by Carl Jung as expressed through the Spear of Longinus (masculine) that was plunged into Jesus: i.e. that which harms also gives life because Jesus' death brought new life as later conceptualized by the Holy Grail (feminine).
I felt like this translated well to what you were saying about "men taking life to preserve life," and the empathy formed through discord.
Well said, my friend. Appreciate you watching the whole thing!
This could be like big game chronicles just an episode every week or two that would be awesome
Thanks Aryus. I think I'm going to be pivoting in the future to more vids on historical masculinity, which will still involve hunting, but also focus on what historical virtues made men, men- and reflecting upon that in our modern world.
@@ManvsHistory sounds good
I'm glad what i'm feeling is an actual feeling :)
I love our modern world so much because it allows people to throw off the societal expectations, for example men being hunters and women just childbearing and cooking housewives. We CAN live those lifestyles if we want, but we are increasingly giving ourself more freedom to be ourselves in an increasingly hectic world. Men can be househusbands, women can be warriors. Nothing is better than the individual's right to be their own kind of individual.
This is why I LOVE history. We can learn from the past, both good and bad. We can write our own stories but copy off the homework of those who came before us because they uploaded the textbook online, so to speak lol
I think a lot of what you mentioned resonates with women too. Humanity has come a long way from where it started.
Rockstar made a game that would be enjoyed by both women and men, since both are their customers. Just because it (and most games that focus on hunting/warring) intentionally target male neurology doesn't mean the experience won't be enjoyed by women. RD has an amazing story, and beautiful open world, and it's a hell of a lot of fun. In addition to being set in a very popular historical era, things like immersion in nature, adventure, creative problem solving, exploration, animals, etc appeal to most people, regardless of gender.
Female neurology tends to center more around social and community interests- and to Rockstar's credit, they do a good job of providing us with tools to create a robust community of friends, which allow the game to also be a social experience. It's interesting that if one looks at statistics, there's a 2017 report from the video game analytics company Quantic Foundry, that shows that 70% of the players in games like the Sims, or farming simulators are women- yet women only account for 7% of gamers in Grand Strategy, First-Person/ Tactical shooters. In other words, males are much more likely to enjoy fast-paced action/combat, want to compete with each other and destroy things, while women prefer in-game communication and interpersonal relationships (character development and plot dynamics), want to immerse themselves in other worlds and complete challenges. Games that focus on hunting/warring are specifically developed to get to the male brain on a primal level. And they do a great job of it. Most of us know we like those games, but we rarely stop to think about why we like them, from where that interest originates, or why there is such a disparity in the gender of the players.
Eible-Eibesfeldt, a German ethologist, studied over 60 cultures globally. In his work he found that in ALL of them, little boys between the ages of 4 and 5 compete with each other throwing stones- and girls don't. Some people in our modern age would like to say that throwing stones is encouraged by men, or imitated by boys, or that little girls are discouraged from throwing stones. The problem is that there is no evidence to support that objection. Little boys throw stones whether adult men throw them or throw nothing at all. The shaping and throwing of stones as weapons for hunting or defense may go back millions of years among our ancestors. It's appearance at a predictable age among humans males indicates that it is firmly established in the developmental blueprint of males,' but not in females.
The Austrian psychologist (and University of Chicago/ Stanford professor), Bruno Bettleheim, did a study on children’s dreams and found that at about age four, boys began to dream about big predators, while girls began dreaming about spiders and snakes. Of course, this is particularly interesting seeing that the great threat to grown males throughout most of human history has been big predators; the threat to gathering/ domestic women has been snakes and spiders.
Additionally, studies have found that a large percentage of boys spontaneously kill animals. Girls don’t. It can’t be imitation since these days few boys actually witness any adult males hunting.
Throughout ancient human history, it was common for women to hunt, trap, and kill small game. Pygmy women participated in hunting larger game via cooperative 'net hunting', but even in this case it was the responsibility of adult males to dispatch larger animals. Groups of Pygmy women clubbed duikers (small antelope about the size of a domestic cat) to death in a net, while Pygmy men killed full-grown elephants on their own. The only anthropological case of females hunting the same species as men was among the Aka in the Philippines, but even in this case we must recognize the total absence of big predators- which were much more dangerous to women hunters than men. Had there been large predators living amongst the Aka, based upon the rest of human history outside the Philippines, women wouldn't have hunted them.
There are physiological reasons for this. Compared to women, men on average, have twice the upper body strength as women, and significantly higher grip strength. Men also have about 56% greater cardiovascular capacity (lung volume), more clotting factors, and their wounds heal faster. They also have denser, stronger bones, tendons, and ligaments. And a greater capacity for muscular hypertrophy.
Men were also more expendable from a reproductive standpoint, in that a tribe with 50 women and 5 men were in a much better position long term than a tribe of 50 men and 5 women. Consider the birth rate potential of each. A lack of birth control also meant that women were often likely to be pregnant, and therefore far less mobile- making them more of a liability on the hunt, and also exposing them to greater potential danger.
And to be clear, the evolution of gender differences is related to the survival and success of both sexes. It is not a matter of one being better than the other, but strictly a matter of each being better adapted to perform certain functions. Men can gather and they do; women can kill smaller game and they do. Men are significantly adapted to hunt and kill big game. Women aren’t. Today of course, women are just as capable as men of using a high-powered rifle to kill an elk or a grizzly bear… and some do.
That said, I strongly promote and encourage hunting for females as well. I know many that love it, and I think it's awesome that they do it. If I ever have a daughter, hunting will be a big part of her upbringing. It's incredibly beneficial in teaching and fostering patience, courage, fortitude, generosity, humility, a reflection of spirituality, compassion, inner peace, cooperation, respect for living things, gratitude, creativity, moral reflection, and more. Additionally, hunters have historically been the foremost environmental conservationists, so I want there to be as many hunters as possible. But hunting is neurologically different for men, due to its primal connections.
I wish I lived where you do, it’s so beautiful
Same brother looks so damn peaceful
I've felt the appeal is much more direct. RDR2 is a chance to participate in every western book or movie you've ever loved, all rolled up into one virtual interactive sandbox.
But that being said, you do have a point about how there is a lack of a manhood rite of passage. But you'd have to go a LOT further back than the old west to find it in common practice among any european societies. A good seven or eight hundred year earlier The closest approximation would arguably be apprenticeships over the last millenium, which very few kids were ever lucky enough to get picked for. Most were born serfs, and died that way too. The only thing they knew was sustenance farming & highly localized supplementary diet foraging. The only rite of passage was marriage, by whatever informal local custom the peasantry went by.
In most of the world you were considered an adult as soon as you could reach over your head with your right arm and cup your left ear with your palm functionally up until `1906(roughly five or six, tops).
Hey Brian. To clarify, in the video I'm referring to male rites of passage across the globe, primarily before the transition to agriculture (for those people that did so), overwhelmingly via hunting. So 'most of human history' if you will. Not Euro-American rites of passage during the 'Old West'- which it seems both of us agree aren't really rites of passage at all. It's funny to think that one might 'become a man' just by touching their ear or getting married.
It taught me that it’s more fun to use dynamite for hunting
Better to assess Risk vs Reward.
Great job as always. Thanks
That's what I was going for! Just couldn't put my finger on the proper wording. Glad you enjoyed it, Doc. Thanks for stopping in again.
@@ManvsHistory always brother. I enjoy your series.
Thought you jumped at the beginning lol
This is great video and I love playing red dead redemption 2 because I love the time it was set and I love hunting and exploring in that world
Thanks, Jacob!!!
When will the next Tales of the west episode be out
After surgery I wasn't able to use my left hand for a while. Just getting back to it now and working on a new 'Historical Accuracy Of...' video. Planning on doing a TotW vid after that.
@@ManvsHistory Okay thx for the reply
To all the people who want to go to nature but you live far, or you want to move to somewhere new your willpower is what will do it not money
The idea of living back in the 1800's seems really cool to me, everyone had to work for everything. Nothing was handed to them like it is today and I think that is why this world is going such downhill. A man in overalls created America, and a man in a suit is destroying America. The difference, is truly amazing.