“Red Dead Redemption 2” is still in the news for its crazy level of detail, even though it’s been almost three years since its release.
(Photo: Steam)
According to several academics (professors of biology, to be precise) from the University of Exeter and Truro College in England, “Red Dead Redemption 2” offers a surprisingly accurate view of the behavior of animals in the wild, writes PC Gamer. And that, they think, demonstrates the value of play as an educational tool.
Academics conducted a study with more than 586 people (444 of whom played), who were asked to name specific animals they might have seen in the game. To eliminate some kind of obvious bias, research omitted animals such as bears and wolves (called “charismatic megafauna”). They focused on others like the tortilla and the egret.
All participants had to identify 15 different species of animals from actual photographs, and then say whether they saw them in “Red Dead Redemption 2”. And, according to a GamingSym report, 10 out of 15 animals were correctly identified on average by those who have played the game. As for people who didn’t play, their identification skills were unmatched.
In addition, those who took on the role of “naturalist” or finished the main story of the game had an exceptionally better result compared to other people involved in the study. For those who may be interested, you can consult the study published on the website of the British Ecological Society.
Also read: Virtual Reality Players Rejoice: Red Dead Redemption 2 can now PLAY in virtual reality using a GTA V Mod
‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ and its insane attention to detail
Of course, Rockstar Games isn’t really a studio you think about when it comes to using games as educational tools. But what they did with the incomprehensible level of detail of their latest Wild West masterpiece is amazing.
Here is a perfect example. In this Reddit post, two-dollar horns get tangled as they fight. The winner lives, the loser dies. But the winner is not exactly victorious because he will not be able to get rid of his opponent’s corpse. When this happens in nature, the winning dollar will literally starve to death.
Still, there are so many details about the animals in Rockstar Games ’latest AAA masterpiece that fit into this post. You can check out this YouTube video if you’re interested.
Games as a teaching tool
“Red Dead Redemption 2” is far from the only one that uses its gaming world to teach. “Assassin’s Creed Origins” introduced Discovery Tour in 2017, which offered players a safe way to study the world of Ancient Egypt. Ubisoft even hired real academics to advise them while creating the game mode, which they have done in the latest games in the aforementioned series.
Video games have far outlived their previous reputation for “teaching children to be violent.” Today, the medium is known to have highlighted extremely important stories, which would have been left in the dark in any non-interactive medium, such as a news story or a movie.
Related: People use Red Dead Redemption 2 to have work meetings for those who work from home
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Written by RJ Pierce
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