What if the best way to understand history isn’t merely through textbooks, but by stepping into the past through a video game? When we think about video games, we often think of them as a source of entertainment that does not necessarily hold much educational depth, but author and professor Tore Olsson (Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in History at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville) argues that video games can provide a contemporary perspective on events in the past.

Dr. Mateo Jarquin, Director of the War, Diplomacy, and Society Program. Photo by Violet Gude (’29 Broadcast Journalism).

Recently, Wilkinson College’s Master’s Program in War, Diplomacy, and Society hosted Dr. Olsson to present on his recent book, Red Dead’s History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America’s Violent Past. The book shines light on the Red Dead Redemption series, specifically the second game, which is the most widely played virtual depiction of American History since The Oregon Trail. Dr. Olsson, a scholar of  post-1865 United States History, explains how the game blends narratives and characters with an examination of American Violence from 1870 to 1920, and argues that capitalism and race, more than just poker games and robberies, drove much of the era’s bloodshed. Spanning from the West, the Deep South, and Appalachia, the book exposes the gritty realities that inspired the games, and how they are sometimes simplified within a digital world.

Dr. Mateo Jarquin, Director of the War, Diplomacy, and Society Program, noted, “Everybody in Wilkinson understands the power of media — everything from television to novels to visual art — for helping us understand the world around us and how we got here. But considering the cultural and economic reach of video games, we don’t do enough to ask how that medium, too, can serve as a bridge to serious scholarship. That’s why it was so exciting to have historian Tore Olsson, a pioneer in that field, come on campus.”

Dr. Olsson provided attendees with an exciting and enlightening talk on his new book, guiding the audience through his original thought process and overall execution of his book by displaying an in-person viewpoint through the lens of playing the actual game, showing audience members the parallels to authentic U.S. History.

The talk was a hit among those who attended the event.

“This event was by far one of the most memorable and impactful I have attended during my time here at Chapman. Professor Tore Olsson not only was a phenomenal, engaging speaker, but he combined incredibly relevant mediums (video games) to explore an important and complex time in United States history. His book Red Dead’s History: A Video Game, An Obsession, and America’s Violent Past is one I would love to read to learn more about how this fictionalized world reflects our own,” said Claire Gresham (‘28 Political Science, History, Environmental Science).

Not only was this event entertaining and insightful, but it also opened the door to new possibilities of utilizing different mediums to provide educational context. Dr. Olsson is continuing down this path and is offering a brand-new course at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, about another video game, Grand Theft Auto, and how this sets the tone for the state of history during its setting, specifically Los Angeles History. As video games continue to shape how we experience history, conversations like these remind us that learning can be as immersive as the digital worlds we play in, as well as Wilkinson College’s initiative of connecting education, storytelling, and the online world.

(Photo header: Author and professor Tore Olsson (Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in History at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville) says that video games can provide a contemporary perspective on events in the past. Photo by Violet Gude (’29 Broadcast Journalism).