A reader writes:
Michael Agresta is missing one form of media that boasts a relatively recent blockbuster example of the Western: video games. Mention “Red Dead Redemption” (2010) in pretty much any gaming forum and you will witness an explosion of nostalgia, as well as something much more unusual: young men, not so young men, and adolescents admitting to shedding tears over a story. That scene [above] brought tears to my eyes. My wife sat down to watch me play through the final scenes and ended up sobbing. There’s some power in the Western genre yet.
To Paul Cantor’s point, Rock Star (the studio that developed and published the Red Dead Redemption) sits alongside Matt Stone and Trey Parker in my book: Rock Star didn’t shy away from American Indian or Mexican story lines, but they didn’t pander, either. They played up the funny, sinister, noble, and criminal elements of the characters in all cases, treating them with some depth. They also acknowledged the prejudice and tired tropes plaguing those characters, accomplishing this through satire, sarcasm, and general wittiness.
I’m sure others among your readership enjoyed the game, so I just wanted to send the tidbit your way.
Another tidbit:
Considering the topic of this thread, you will be interested to know that Rock Star released a downloadable content extension to the game called “Undead Nightmare“.
The Dish 