The entire premise of "Westworld" showcases familiar elements already seen in popular video games. In the hit HBO show, guests have the freedom to do whatever they want -- rape, kill, or pillage -- in the West World themed park for a hefty price.
The hosts or highly realistic robots are the fictional park's main attraction, and they come with specific storylines that visitors can immerse themselves into, or they can venture out on their own and explore the massive place. The catch in all of these, however, is visitors are invincible from gunshots perpetuated by the hosts. The robots can't hurt them, but the humans can inflict damage on the androids.
The visitors can still die within Westworld, though. They can still fall off from cliffs or high places and bump their heads or dislocate their joints.
Executive producer and showrunner Jonathan Nolan confirmed that "Westworld" was influenced by video games, specifically "Grand Theft Auto," Variety reported. Nolan and his wife Lisa Joy, who also serves as co-showrunner, are huge fans of video games and so they thought it would be a good idea to incorporate video game elements to "Westworld."
Thandie Newton, who plays the prostitute Maeve on "Westworld," said that the way the creative team "crafted some of the shots is to mimic a video game," according to Deadline. Nolan added that the way "we are there is not the way we are in the real world."
The premiere episode of "Westworld" featured some of the hosts -- Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood and Peter Abernathy (Louis Herthum) -- gaining "consciousness," which heavily hints of a possible uprising of the hosts in future episodes. Given the cruel treatment suffered by the hosts from park guests, it's highly likely that this uprising would be brutal.
In episode two of "Westworld," first time visitor William (Jimmi Simpson) asked if there's some sort of orientation. The host who welcomed him responded that there's "no guidebook" and "all you do is make choices," Kotaku noted. This echoes how video games like "Grand Theft Auto," "Skyrim," "Watch Dogs," and "Red Dead Redemption" function.
HBO's "Westworld" has so much to say about the gaming culture of today and possibly, the future. There would come a time when people would be able to visit theme parks and actually kill virtual citizens instead of just pushing buttons on a gaming console. When this happens, abstract and philosophical cues should be considered by gamers.
There's no "Westworld" video game for now, but the world that the series introduced is too vast and rich that it definitely deserves one. For now, you can explore the park more by visiting the fictional Westworld website.
