John Marston (Red Dead)

Rob Wiethoff auditioned for the role of John Marston by folding laundry while reading his lines. He was not aware of the game's identity, then only referred to as an "untitled video game project".[2] He felt that the audition was a waste of time, but received the role a few days later.[2] The performance capture process involved simultaneous recording of movement and speech, while a small part was done in a voice-over booth.[3][4] Wiethoff worked on the first game for almost two years, with principal production lasting around six weeks.[3] Recording would take place over a few weeks, before taking a break of a month or two.[2] Wiethoff estimated that around 12–15 scenes were recorded each day.[3] The recording crew often referred to scenes from Rockstar's previous game, Grand Theft Auto IV (2008); Wiethoff pretended to understand before eventually admitting that he had not played the game.[2]

John was developed to be a "family man".[5] The team created him as a nuanced character in Red Dead Redemption, as opposed to a straightforward hero or villain, to provide an interesting experience. Technical director Ted Carson said that the character became interesting due to the combination of cynicism and realism.[6] He stated that the early decisions in John's life were a direct result of his need for acceptance, and that he may not have been aware of his actions.[7] Wiethoff was asked to return for the downloadable content Undead Nightmare about a month after moving back to Seymour, Indiana from Los Angeles, where the first game was recorded; Undead Nightmare was recorded in New York.[3]

When developing John in Red Dead Redemption 2, the writers felt that his previous appearance could be limiting to them, since players have already resonated with the character.[8] Wiethoff looked to his own life when returning to the character; he always looked up to his older sister's male friends for approval in the same way that John looks up to the rest of the gang for validation.[4] He also took inspiration from the "pretty tough dudes" in his home town for John's personality.[9]

John's mother, a prostitute, died during childbirth and his father, who had been blinded in a bar fight, died when John was eight years old. John spent a few years in an orphanage before running away. When John was threatened to be lynched after being caught stealing at the age of 12, he was saved by Dutch van der Linde, who took him into his gang and raised him.[10] When Abigail Roberts joined the gang, she and John fell in love and had a son named Jack.

Rob Wiethoff's performance as John Marston received praise from several gaming publications and awards ceremonies.

The character of John Marston received critical acclaim. Keith Shaw of Network World described the character as "complicated character".[11] Seth Schiesel, writing for The New York Times, stated that "[John] and his creators conjure such a convincing, cohesive and enthralling re-imagination of the real world that it sets a new standard for sophistication and ambition in electronic gaming."[12] GamesRadar named the character among the best of the generation, particularly praising the vulnerability portrayed in his family life.[13] Game Informer's Javy Gwaltney lauded John as Rockstar's best character, noting that the complexities of his personality make him more realistic than most protagonists.[14] IGN's Brian Albert considered John one of the "most badass video game gunslingers", praising his skill and protective nature.[15] Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer wrote that the script for Undead Nightmare understood the spirit of its characters and balanced sardonicism and honest pathos, and felt that its nuanced treatment of John Marston made him "one of gaming's great characters".[16]

Prior to Red Dead Redemption 2's release, Kotaku's Heather Alexandra expressed hesitation towards John's return, as his past remaining vague made the first game compelling.[17] Game Informer staff felt that, by the end of Red Dead Redemption 2, John had developed into "the man we knew him to be in the original game: loving, faithful, honorable, and tragically doomed".[18] Dave Meikleham of GamesRadar wrote that Red Dead Redemption 2's climax was effective in explaining John's behavior in the first game.[19] Polygon's Russ Frushtick considered John's story in the game's epilogue to be more motivating than Arthur's as his quest has a direct purpose.[20] Conversely, Paul Tassi of Forbes found John's story less interesting than Arthur's after spending so much time with the latter, partly due to John's lack of character growth.[21] Jess Joho, writing for Mashable, considered Arthur and John to be "practically interchangeable anti-heroes", noting disappointment at the lack of shifting themes between the two.[22] Game Informer's Gwaltney considered Arthur Morgan to be a better protagonist, citing John's lack of growth throughout the game.[23] Some players criticized the game's patches for changing John's character model, considering it a "downgrade" to more closely resemble Arthur's model.[24]

For his role in Red Dead Redemption, Wiethoff won Outstanding Character Performance at the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.[25] He was nominated for Best Performance by a Human Male at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards, where John was also nominated for Character of the Year.[26] In 2013, Complex named Wiethoff's performance as one of the best in a video gaming, praising the growth of the character.[27]

Bibliography

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