The era of the Wild West is one of America’s most turbulent and violent periods of history, creating mythical lawmen and outlaws whose legends far outpaced the reality of their lives. This period produced popular culture icons like Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Geronimo, all of whom are still well known and popular even today. This historical setting is still regularly mined for western films and television shows with its larger-than-life figures and exaggerated legends. So it begs the question, with an era of history set up perfectly to tell a fantastical story, why haven’t there been more western games?
In the past decade, one main series has dominated the western video game landscape, the towering juggernaut that is the Rockstar Games developed Red Dead Redemption franchise. However, in the massive video game world of today, there exists more than enough room for more western games. Every year dozens of new games are set in the worlds of fantasy and science fiction, flooding the market, and making competition fierce. By telling a fresh new story, and using the western setting as a basis, developers can capitalize on this tragically ignored setting and create a truly unique game.
One of the biggest reasons more western games should be made is the opportunity for developers to tell a unique story that fans haven’t experienced before. A western game set in the mid to late 19th century has a wealth of events and topics it could focus on. Whether it be playing a bounty hunter tracking down criminals, a lawman overwhelmed in a town full of criminals, or even a regular settler vying for a place free from corruption and greed only to find themselves embroiled in a lawless hell. There are so many other stories that can be told in a western setting, outside of the familiar outlaw legends that so permeate television and movies.
There haven’t been many games that tell the story of life in Mexican territory or a perspective of any of the hundreds of Native American peoples who lived in this era. Even when these stories do get presented in western games, they always take a backseat to a more eurocentric story of westward expansion and territory life. A game that focused on the lives of other groups of people vying for a place in a society that’s changing at a whirlwind pace could provide players with a truly unique perspective. These stories are important, not just to America’s history as a whole, but to the groups of people that continually were marginalized in the name of Manifest Destiny and American growth.
Over the years, developers have already shown that there is room for more western games other than Red Dead Redemption. Red Dead Revolver, a Rockstar published, Capcom developed third-person shooter that began Rockstar’s foray into the Wild West, not only told the story of Red Harlow, a notorious gunslinger bent for revenge but featured a handful of other diverse playable characters. These included Native American Shadow Wolf and Mexican revolutionary Javier Diego. Neversoft’s 2005 action-adventure Gun drew critical and commercial success as well, further proving that western games don’t have to have Red Dead in the title to make money.
Western games are still being developed, albeit in a niche capacity. One example is Weird West, an immersive simulation action game due this year that focuses on magic and occultism surrounding its dusty western setting. It features five characters including a cult member, a Native American, a bounty hunter, a mysterious Pig Man and even a werewolf in a fantastical story steeped in dark magic and western tropes. If it can find success, it could help to further prove that western games are not only a perfect setting for video games but one that is malleable enough to tell a variety of stories. The western setting doesn’t have to limit games to a familiar outlaw versus lawman tale but can be a host for science fiction stories, horror and all manner of other subgenres.
The continued success of Red Dead Redemption as a series proves that video game fans still are interested in the west when it comes to video games, and more developers need to take note. The combination of heroic archetypes, infamous outlaws, and clashing of cultures brought on by western expansion is a setting that isn’t limiting but one that could support a plethora of gameplay styles and stories. However, until more developers realize the potential of the western video game setting, this wild world of heroes and villains will continue to be tragically overlooked.
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