A blogger counted the inhabitants of Red Dead Redemption 2 and compared them to the real Wild West

Rockstar Games has long been renowned for its attention to detail, and in Red Dead Redemption 2, this approach is evident not only in the weather, mud tracks, and animations, but also in the way life in the virtual towns operates. To test how accurately the developers recreated the population of the Wild West era, one blogger decided to take a more thorough approach.

YouTube author Any Austin conducted a full-scale census of the population in Red Dead Redemption 2, choosing the town of Valentine for his study. According to his observations, there are approximately one hundred residents and random travelers living there at any one time. To obtain the most accurate picture, the blogger divided the town into several zones and observed them at different times of day, recording changes and the diversity of characters appearing.

During his research, he closely examined non-player characters, paying attention to their age, health, profession, place of work, and estimated income level. Additionally, he analyzed NPC behavior, their daily routines, and appearance, while clothing prices were determined from in-game catalogs. The blogger compared all the collected data with real archival materials and statistics from American cities of the early 20th century, roughly corresponding to the time period of the game's events.

The results showed that the virtual demographics were surprisingly close to reality. The unemployment rate in Valentine was approximately 4.5 percent, while historical sources indicate a rate of around 1.8 percent. More than half the population is employed in agriculture, followed by entertainment and prostitution. Named characters are most often found in bars, shops, and among law enforcement officials.

By comparison, in the real United States of the early 20th century, approximately 32 percent of the population worked in agriculture; however, according to the blogger, for small rural communities like Valentine, this proportion could have been significantly higher. Around 70 percent of the city's residents are working class, and approximately half of the NPCs are in good health. Any Austin named the lack of children and the overly well-groomed teeth of most residents of the virtual Wild West as the only noticeable deviations from historical truth.