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People Shocked By How Old Arthur And John Are In 'Red Dead Redemption 2'

Imogen Donovan

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People Shocked By How Old Arthur And John Are In 'Red Dead Redemption 2'

Featured Image Credit: Rockstar Games

The Red Dead Redemption games are set in the American Frontier where people survived harsh winters, blistering summers and dangerous wildlife defending their turf. Turns out that these experiences take a toll on you and players are shocked to find out Arthur and John are actually a lot younger than they thought they were.

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I'm sure the historic triviality of personal hygiene and grooming probably factors into this too as Arthur and John are always covered in a sheer coat of dust, mud, blood and other grossness from their exploits. If they were introduced to the concept of a sheet mask, I think their minds would simply be blown and they would be changed men, as a result. Come to think of it, this could be true of some more contemporary chaps among us.

The level of detail in the second game has received praise for its integrated systems, showing Arthur losing weight if he doesn't eat enough and he will even shake out his hands after a ride after holding the horse's reins for a long time. So, the fact that these characters don't look their actual age is surprising the community of players..

Check out this compilation of incredible wins and fails in Red Dead Redemption 2 here!

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Let's cut to the chase: Arthur is 35 and John is 26 in the story of Red Dead Redemption 2. While dates of birth for both are difficult to work out, we know that Arthur has been with the Van der Linde gang for about two decades. As per dialogue from Hosea Matthews, he was about 14 years old or "maybe a little older" when he was found by Dutch and Hosea on the streets.

Considering that Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place in 1899, the 20 years that Arthur has spent with the gang, and Hosea's anecdote, that puts Arthur as 14 years old in about 1879. There are a lot of "about"s in that explanation which I'm justifying away by saying that cowboys had no need for filofaxes. The Red Dead wikia says he's 36 years old in this game, whereas the maths here works him out to be 34 years old. Let's say 35 years old for ease.

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Arthur meets a 12 year old John Marston in 1885, through Dutch's rescue of the boy from a lynching after he had stolen from homesteaders. John was therefore born in 1873 which makes him 26 in Red Dead Redemption 2 and 38 in Red Dead Redemption.

Wildly enough, this means that Bill Williamson is actually younger than Arthur Morgan. A stint in the American Civil War will do that to you, kids. And, Hosea Matthews was 55 years old when he died in 1899, but players believed him to be a lot older due to his coughing and wheezing. This is your cue to take your multivitamins, hydrate, and quit touching your face else you'll look like Micah Bell. And no one wants that.

Topics: Rockstar Games, Red Dead Redemption

Imogen Donovan
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