Red Dead Redemption 2 from Rockstar Games is the major hit this year in the game market. As Arthur Morgan the outlaw, we can live out our Wild West fantasies of gunshot out with other gangs, train robbery and do all kind of other naughty things. There is existing a side path in the game, a way in which we should not finish the game at all. I decided to follow this path.

Last night,  I started Red Dead Redemption 2. Arthur was there, stand at the exact spot I left him. Before long we got back on the horse,  going out of town.

A different path

We keep riding on until we heard some kind of animal makes an unusual sound along the riverbank of Dakota River. Using the binoculars, we made a quick stop to research it and draw a sketch od it in the journal.

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The bisons in Red Dead Redemption 2

Instead of "finishing" the game, I keep on sipping at the game like this. Like a usual practice, modern triple-A titles enforce a time limit or urge us to hurry up and finish the game. Or else, they will just layer on collectibles and side quests that personally I think they are like a burden to the game. In the other way, Red Dead Redemption 2  merely leave us alone to do whatever we want in its universe.

An elastic system

More importantly, the systems of the game are elastic enough so that  I could overcome them with just a little effort. I could create a private parallel universe to play the game.

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Riding along with Arthur

We have started to wave at the NPCs when we meet one to gain a few scores on the "good side" of the morality system in the game. We also know to not loot corpses of strangers or lawmen when we go across them by chance. And when a rival gang makes an ambush us, force us to return fire. But as long as they shoot first, our morality level will be kept. That’s also our chance to find loot. After that, we keep riding on.

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Fishing with Arthur

Me and Arthur, we still have much to do along this off the trail path before we even consider getting back to the main game. I hope this experience will never end.