Games@lemmy.worldbyCodenameDarlen@lemmy.world
6 hours

RDR2 is making me feel extremely sad

English

This isn’t a complain about the game, neither a compliment.

It’s something personal I guess, not related to anything else, but myself, I think I just need to vent.

Maybe the game romanticize way too much the life in the year around 1900 and the thing is I just love the life how they portrait it. The game is extremely immersive and it’s hitting me hard.

Everything is so simple, there’s so much respect between people, they live camping with a simple life, everybody trying to help to survive as they can, singing at the end of nights, having profound and philosophical talking. It’s such a more human focused life.

Seeing a simple life like that and comparing to the modern world makes me feel sad. Today we have cars, cities, buildings, very few vegetation, a lot of pollution, everybody is so fixed on being clean, good looking, companies rule the world, people accepting being modern slaves in exchange of a little comfort and convenience. It’s truly a disappointment to me.

I’d exchange 20-30 years living in a world like RDR2 shows than 70-80 years in the modern world. That’s right, I’d rather die trying to hunt for food and learning how to survive in the woods than a massive boring life doing the exact same thing every single day in front of a computer.

26
    • warmaster@lemmy.worldEnglish
      52 minutes

      Sounds like you are projecting.

      You either are developing depression or if it’s an actual desire, you should think about moving to a more rural area and start your own business.

      The parts of the world that are like you described are the big cities and big companies. There’s still a lot to love about the world and the humans that live in it.

    • paraphrand@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3 hours

      OP has valid feelings here. They are noticing how our modern world is an intermediary in social relations. How removed we are from nature, and social connections. How social connections were key to survival. Etc.

      This is all true even if they didn’t talk about the harsh realities of the time too. Or the moral character of various characters. Some of the responses here are missing OPs point. And seem to not be able to parse out the nuance and focus of their post.

      I think it’s great that they can experience this game and take this away from it. This is what art is for. And this is part of why RDR2 is such a masterpiece. It’s not just a game of shooting people. It has depth and character and humanity too. This is why it stands tall among other shallow “shooters” or “open world games”.

      If you look at what OP is saying and reflexively point out that you only see it as a murder simulator, then you are really missing out on the artistry and complexity of the game. They didn’t say it depicted a utopia. Just that it makes them see the alienation that modern society causes. Alienation from nature and each other.

      • Goodeye8@piefed.socialEnglish
        3 hours

        OP has valid feelings and I doubt anyone is dismissing their feelings. What most people here are dismissing is the conclusion OP came to about their feelings, which is:

        I’d rather die trying to hunt for food and learning how to survive in the woods

        If the people here were a genie and granted OP their wish and sent them back into the late 20th century, they’d be dead in a week. They have very much romanticized themselves a setting that is a fairy tale and they now want that fairy tale. But the reality is that the 20th century, especially the kind Arthur Morgan lives in the game, is far from a fairy tale. I’m not OP but if I had to choose between living in the 20th century America or live in the right here and now, I’d choose here and now every single time. I’ve camped out in the woods, I’ve grown my own food, I’ve foraged for food. I’ve rolled around in mud and washed myself in a river. I wouldn’t want to do those things (and a 100 other things I’ve never even done) for the rest of my life. I’d rather have the comfort of my home and spend the weekends doing those things when I feel like it.

        OP has valid feelings but it doesn’t mean they should reject the modern world. If they want to do that they can start doing that gradually. Learning how to cook meals from whatever they have in their cupboard. Learn how to camp in camping spots. Learn how to tend a garden. Learn how to forage. Learn a 100 other things and when you know how to be self-sufficient and you still feel like the urban space is pushing you down, sell your shit and buy a home in the middle of nowhere and live off the land or whatever. Just learn to be self-sufficient before you reject modernness, because the lives we live don’t really require us to survive on our skills. I imagine most people don’t even know how to cook a delicious meal because it’s far more convenient to have it brought to your doorstep. And cooking is the most basic skill you should know.

        • zout@fedia.io
          47 minutes

          I remember the late 20th century, it wasn’t that bad, and certainly not that dangerous. /s

          • Goodeye8@piefed.socialEnglish
            23 minutes

            Fuck. I originally had 19th century and thought “that’s like 1800 something but the game should be taking place somewhere in 1900s so it must be wrong” and then replaced it with 20th century. Turns out that’s not entirely true either because Arthurs story takes place in 1899.

    • shy@lemmy.caEnglish
      2 hours

      Are you friends with your neighbours? I’d start there. Kith is valuable.

      Have you been diagnosed for depression? There may be less extreme options than sacrificing 40 entire years of life to live outside of the city.

      Whatever you decide to do, I’m glad this game is getting a big reaction from you. Even if it’s rare, I hope you look forward to the next game that feels this special in the future

    • Menschlicher_Fehler@feddit.orgEnglish
      6 hours

      “Everything is so simple, there’s so much respect between people, they live camping with a simple life, everybody trying to help to survive as they can, singing at the end of nights, having profound and philosophical talking. It’s such a more human focused life.”

      Have we played the same game? They are murderers, drunkards and thieves who constantly backstab each other.

      • Coelacanth@feddit.nuEnglish
        3 hours

        “You’re a good man, Arthur Morgan”

        Meanwhile the good man in question has a kill count that would qualify for genocide according to most international standards.

      • biofaust@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6 hours

        Came here to say this. Also, tuberculosis.

        And games do not simulate smell.

      • CodenameDarlen@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6 hours

        Constantly? The respect between Dutch and Arthur, and Dutch with all of their group, it’s something we’d never genuinely feel in this society of masks.

        • chiliedogg@lemmy.worldEnglish
          6 hours

          Dutch is an egomaniacal monster, and like many sociopaths he’s found a community where he can manipulate people into doing his bidding while seeming selfless and reasonable.

          Arthur is a broken, violent man who follows Dutch because he’s been sold a fantasy about freedom and family that allows him to view his choices through a romantic, heroic filter. If Arthur allowed that illusion to crumble, he’d have to come to terms with all the evil he’s been a part of.

          It sounds like you’re in an earlier part of the story. It’s a long game with a lot of story and character development.

        • Menschlicher_Fehler@feddit.orgEnglish
          6 hours

          Dutch has no respect, for no one. He is a violent criminal who groomed children into becoming his personal killers.

          Have you finished the game?

          • CodenameDarlen@lemmy.worldEnglish
            6 hours

            I’m half of it. but 90h, because I stay a lot of time hearing the dialogs in the camp. Even if Dutch is such a bad person, it doesn’t invalidate the relation between the others of the group.

            • Menschlicher_Fehler@feddit.orgEnglish
              6 hours

              There are some good people in the camp, sure, but Dutch is not one of them. Neither is Arthur, no matter how you play him. Dutch is a charismatic devil with a silver tongue who makes people believe he is the good guy. Seems like he got you too.

              Edit: This whole exchange comes across a lot harsher than it was meant. I understand you, Dutch is a very well written character who is fun to be around. I just found it a bit strange how you romanticized this gang of truly awful persons. But I get it, the camp feels like family. I’ve been there, I would have slaughtered a whole town to protect Tilly.

    • wuffah@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5 hours

      I feel like I decapitated a lot more people with my shotgun than you did. Also, don’t forget about the tuberculosis and saw amputations. :/

      • Diplomjodler@lemmy.worldEnglish
        52 minutes

        Yeah, I encourage OP to read up on how life really was in those days. I think that will quickly dispel their romantic ideas.

    • Akasazh@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2 hours

      People are a constant, and they have the ability to be excellent it very shitty.

    • postscarce@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      4 hours

      Sounds like you’re early on in the game, just take your time with it and enjoy it. In real life there are a lot of things you can do to simplify your life or connect with nature, from just finding local hiking trails all the way up to living completely off grid. Everything is a compromise though, so just take things one step at a time and see where you are most comfortable.

      • CodenameDarlen@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6 hours

        I wish it was easy to make part of one. Don’t even know where to begin. I personally never saw it, just read about it. Not to mention it depends the country you live on.

        • cosmicrookie@lemmy.worldEnglish
          5 hours

          Life demands efforts. It’s not like downloading and pressing play.

          Its interesting that you find it hard to seek out the lifestyle that you want when that lifestyle will actually require a lot more effort just to survive

          • insomniac_lemon@lemmy.cafeEnglish
            3 hours

            I’m not trying to go camping, but just in terms of finding a “simple life” still requires weaving around a lot of modern problems/realities. For instance I do plenty of unpaid chores for family (today I helped carry fence panels), but I am not going to travel many hours (esp. lacking a car) to meet strangers to see if I possibly mesh well in such a community where I would also likely have to pay rent even after putting in what effort I could.

            • cosmicrookie@lemmy.worldEnglish
              3 hours

              Sounds like you are looking at the grass over the fence.

              It’s always greener than on this side

        • OriginEnergySux@lemmy.worldEnglish
          6 hours

          Yeah could be slim pickings near you. Do you do any as a hobby? Theres lots of campers i watch who live off grid on weekends yet still have normal jobs during the week (gotta pay the bills somehow). Ive only gone as far as growing my own food in the garden, but gotta admit, eating something ive gone to the effort of growing, caring for and harvesting is a level of self satisfaction that hits pretty hard