{"id":2228657,"date":"2024-04-23T21:56:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T01:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-dad-goggles-how-fatherhood-changed-the-way-i-experienced-red-dead-redemption\/"},"modified":"2024-04-23T22:02:02","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T02:02:02","slug":"new-dad-goggles-how-fatherhood-changed-the-way-i-experienced-red-dead-redemption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-dad-goggles-how-fatherhood-changed-the-way-i-experienced-red-dead-redemption\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring &#8216;Red Dead Redemption&#8217; Through New Dad Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnew-dad-goggles-how-fatherhood-changed-the-way-i-experienced-red-dead-redemption%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2228657&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Bryan Chai shares his experience\u2062 revisiting &#8220;Red Dead Redemption&#8221; through the lens of fatherhood in his column &#8220;New Dad \u2063Goggles.&#8221; Exploring the game&#8217;s impactful\u200b moments \u200cpost-fatherhood reveals new perspectives on sacrifice, revenge, and the \u2063concept of playing\u2063 the hero versus the villain. This journey offers a poignant reflection on the\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elon-musk-sets-limit-on-how-many-tweets-users-can-read-in-a-day\/\" title=\"Elon Musk restricts daily tweet consumption.\">evolving role<\/a> of a parent in shaping choices and values. Bryan Chai reflects on his \u200d&#8221;Red Dead Redemption&#8221; experience through the perspective of fatherhood in his &#8220;New Dad Goggles&#8221; column. Delving \u200dinto the \u200bgame&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-cashes-in-with-book-deal-as-career-prospects-dwindle-child-support-payments-mount\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Cashes In with Book Deal as Career Prospects Dwindle, Child Support Payments Mount\">key moments<\/a> after becoming a \u2063parent unveils fresh insights on sacrifice, revenge, and the dichotomy between heroism and \u2063villainy. This introspective journey highlights how parenthood influences one&#8217;s decisions and moral compass.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/entertainment\/\">  Entertainment <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/bchai\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/bchai\/%20\"><span>Bryan Chai<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   April 23, 2024 at 5:12pm <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p><em>Welcome to \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/new-dad-goggles-fatherhood-changed-way-experienced-final-fantasy-vii\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New Dad Goggles<\/a>,\u201d a semi-reoccurring column here.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>People always ask the hypothetical, \u201cIf you could forget and re-experience any piece of media, what would you choose?\u201d You obviously can\u2019t do that, but the next best thing? Becoming a parent.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>It\u2019ll give you a whole new perspective on life \u2014 and the media you consume.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>2010 was an odd year filled with uncertainty for me.<\/p>\n<p>I had just begun dating my wife, though I had no clue that\u2019s who she would end up being in 2010. College was rapidly coming to a close, and I had no clue what to do with the rest of my adult life.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps most shockingly of all: My lifelong love for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shocking-exclusive-auditors-selected-by-arizona-maricopa-county-board-of-supervisors-send-message-to-observers-f-you\/\" title=\"SHOCKING EXCLUSIVE: Auditors Selected by Arizona Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Send Message to Observers: \u201cF@#$ You\u201d\">video games<\/a> had begun dwindling, due in no small part to how much an absolute pain it was to acquire either a PlayStation 3 or a Nintendo Wii, and I had no clue what could possibly revive it.<\/p>\n<p>Enter: Rockstar Games\u2019 2010 masterpiece, \u201cRed Dead Redemption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>WARNING: The following clip is for an M-rated video game, and contains scenes of violence and language that some viewers may find disturbing.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Red Dead Redemption Official Launch Trailer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-o7rES_3ymA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Have you ever played \u201cRed Dead Redemption\u201d?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Just as it is in film, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/western-back-following-costners-lead-lord-rings-star-wrote-directed-upcoming-western-epic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Western<\/a> genre is woefully underrepresented in video games, giving RDR an immediate leg up on Rockstar\u2019s other darling franchise, \u201cGrand Theft Auto.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was an absolute gem of a video game that took Rockstar\u2019s mastery of open-world environments and storytelling, and applied those skills to a classic Western setting.<\/p>\n<p>And while the game absolutely ate up my entire summer of 2010, it was such a profoundly fun experience, I had avoided replaying the game for nearly 14 years (much like how I haven\u2019t gone back to \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d since first beating it).<\/p>\n<p>But now, with a new way to play (the Nintendo Switch version of \u201cRed Dead Redemption\u201d runs great in portable, so it\u2019s the perfect way to play an hour or so before going to bed), I revisited this relic of my college days now that I\u2019m a father, and here\u2019s what I\u2019ve found.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The first ending of the game hits way harder (Obvious spoilers)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The story of RDR includes a number of twists and turns, but could best be generalized as thus: Reformed outlaw John Marston has his family kidnapped by the Bureau of Investigation (a real world precursor to the FBI). In exchange for their safety and return, Marston must use his inside knowledge to help the BOI hunt down various members of Marston\u2019s former gang.<\/p>\n<p>After successfully neutralizing Marston\u2019s former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ms-13-member-pleads-guilty-to-brutal-murder-in-maryland\/\" title=\"MS-13 Member Pleads Guilty To Brutal Murder in Maryland\">gang leader<\/a> and mentor, Dutch van der Linde, the U.S. government keeps its word and lets John reunite with his family.<\/p>\n<p>In a twist, the government ultimately decides that the best way to completely eradicate any remnants of the van der Linde gang is to actually eradicate any remnants of the gang \u2014 John Marston included.<\/p>\n<p>In the game\u2019s penultimate chapter, John stands against the U.S. Army to buy time for his wife and son to escape. In a gut-wrenching portion of the game that you must play, but cannot win, John shoots down a number of Army agents before finally being gunned down due to the sheer voluminous numbers of the opposition.<\/p>\n<p>Obviously, there can be no greater fatherly duty than to lay one\u2019s own life for their family, and that ending just hits differently post-fatherhood.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The second ending hits way<em> <\/em>differently (More spoilers)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After John\u2019s death, the game opens up for its final chapter: A chance to play as Jack Marston, John\u2019s now-grown son, in one final mission to avenge his father\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p>Jack hunts down the government operatives who used and killed John, and finds the last man peacefully fishing by the river.<\/p>\n<p>Jack obviously kills that man, and the game ends in earnest.<\/p>\n<p>As a college kid, my instinct to watching that final sequence was one of satisfaction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeck yeah, I avenged my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(Insert fist pump.)<\/p>\n<p>As a father? That ending is almost melancholy in that John specifically <em>didn\u2019t <\/em>want the life of an outlaw for Jack. And truly, what father would want their son to live a life dedicated to a bloodthirsty revenge quest?<\/p>\n<p><strong>I actually found myself playing as a \u201cgood guy\u201d this time<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Call me soft in my old age and\/or due to my fatherhood, but I found myself adhering to as honorable a route as possible for John Marston in my second-ever playthrough of the game.<\/p>\n<p>And yes, I think that having the role of real-life role model paints that decision.<\/p>\n<p>Before my son, I largely stuck to more villainous playthroughs of various games. And the reason for that is simple: Villains have more fun. They can color outside the lines, bend rules and generally don\u2019t have to work as hard for things.<\/p>\n<p>But even on a meta level, something about taking John Marston, the father figure, and making him an incorrigible villain just doesn\u2019t feel right or in service to the ethos and pathos of the game.<\/p>\n<p>Because the biggest \u201cadult\u201d lesson I was able to glean from this masterpiece of a game is that absolution comes at an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-converting-hotels-into-homeless-housing-doesnt-usually-work\/\" title=\"Why Converting Hotels Into Homeless Housing Doesn\u2019t Usually Work\">extreme cost<\/a>. But even if that extreme cost includes your life, there\u2019s no reason you can\u2019t die paving a better path for your loved ones.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRed Dead Redemption\u201d is available on just about every current console.<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-info-44778\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/bchai\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44778\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44778\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44778\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44778\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate. <\/p>\n<p>  Birthplace <\/p>\n<p>  Hawaii <\/p>\n<p>  Education <\/p>\n<p>  Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN. <\/p>\n<p>  Location <\/p>\n<p>  Phoenix, Arizona <\/p>\n<p>  Languages Spoken <\/p>\n<p>  English, Korean <\/p>\n<p>  Topics of Expertise <\/p>\n<p>  Sports, Entertainment, Science\/Tech <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to &#8220;New Dad Goggles,&#8221; a column by Bryan Chai. Ever pondered re-experiencing media afresh? While that might be impossible, parenting offers a similar thrill. Dive into a world of new perspectives and emotions \u2013 all through the lens of fatherhood<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2015,"featured_media":2228658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/RDR-Screen-Shot-from-Trailer.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2228657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/RDR-Screen-Shot-from-Trailer.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2015"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2228657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228657\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2228658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2228657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2228657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2228657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}