Red Dead Redemption 3 - 10 Ways To Make The Perfect Sequel
4. Lean Into Social Realities
Believe it or not, neither Red Dead Redemption 1 or 2 are true Westerns.
Instead, they're what's called Revisionist Westerns. Revisionist Westerns place a stronger focus on moral ambiguity, while also casting more light on nontraditional Western protagonists (white guys), such as American Indians, women, and African Americans.
They also focus on the darker parts of American history: The things we've chosen to forget or omit; the atrocities and the morally reprehensible actions of our "heroes".
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Dead Redemption 3 would do well to explore these things.
Along with the aforementioned persecution of American Indians, they could also draw upon the reality that black men made up about 1/3 of all cowboys on the open range, but were often excluded from drinking in saloons.
That the Chinese were often targets of racist vitriol, with Los Angeles's Chinese Massacre of 1871 being one prominent example.
That the oft-exalted Texas Rangers committed acts of horrific violence (sometimes sexual) against Mexicans living in isolated communities, or the institution of collecting Mexican and Apache scalps for cash, which was the business of Ranger/outlaw/serial killer, John Joel Glanton.
The West was far from a pristine utopia, and Red Dead Redemption 3 should acknowledge that.