Red Dead Redemption 2 Is About The Death Of Rockstar

Fascinatingly, the close of Red Dead 2 makes a 50/50 judgement call on how you played. Get in the top half with enough Honor accrued from not robbing people or slaughtering at will, and Arthur will pass away in relative peace on a mountaintop, watching the sunrise.

Land in that bottom half, though, and Morgan gets put down like a rabid dog, screaming at antagonist Micah Bell as he's ready for it all to be over.

In pretty stark terms, Dan Houser's final comment on his own legacy is writ large right here.

Rockstar's crime sandboxes created two types of player - those that see the story through, and those that go on endless crime sprees. Play Red Dead 2 ignoring the reality of the world around you - the building blocks of modern day civility and mutually-assured community - and Arthur's story ends on a bum note.

Find a reason to survive with purpose, stay away from unnecessary crimes and help out your fellow human, and you're gifted an altogether more uplifting finale.

GTA in particular has always been a black mirror to those who play it. When given full autonomy to drive sports cars, fire machine guns, kill people and whatever else comes to mind, how far will you go?

By wrapping all those thoughts into one final project - in itself thematically dissecting the role of society, wellbeing and camaraderie - Dan Houser speaks mighty powerful parting words, without actually saying anything.

Cont.