Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the best games of the generation, and it’s not only the players who were blown away by the 2018 classic. An essay written by 75-year-old Jessica Hoffmann Davis which praises the Rockstar title is currently going viral on Reddit, and for good reason.

The nearly-3000 word essay is lovingly-crafted, and explains just how the game has made an impact on its millions of players since its release. What’s perhaps most interesting about the piece (aside from it being written by a 75-year-old female gamer), is that its author is the mother of Benjamin Byron Davis – a.k.a the actor who played Dutch van der Linde.
The essay, which I STRONGLY suggest you read, describes Mrs. Davis’ experience of the game, from her son’s performance capture, non-disclosure agreements, comic convention experiences and finally, her personal take on the title.

With nearly 20k of Reddit upvotes at the time of writing, it’s easy to see why this wonderfully-curated love letter to RDR2 has wowed the gaming community.
She opens her piece with the following anecdote (which contains RDR2 spoilers of course):

“The doorbell rang just as the doctor at St. Denis (a fictive town in the video game Red Dead Redemption 2) was telling Arthur, (my playable character in the 80+ hour game) that he had incurable tuberculosis. Devastated, I raced to the door, explained quickly to the technician that I couldn’t sign anything for the moment, and rushed back to finish watching that cinematic cut into the regular action of the game.”

On completing the story she writes: “As I came to the end of the RDR2 story, final scenes brought me to tears. The characters found the ways they were meant to find but not always what I would have wished for them.
“Since my son is a veteran actor, I have seen him in many roles, but never as an animated version of himself—a version that visually walked his walk and audibly exploited the dark and playful regions of his wonderful voice. My journey had allowed this encounter with an extraordinary performance of an extraordinary role. And I had also had the extraordinary experience of playing a role; well, sharing a role with the character Roger Clark so marvelously brought to life. “
Wholesome AF. Check out the full post right here.
Featured Image Credit: Rockstar Games