Westworld star compares show to GTA 5, credits modern video games for inspiration

Westworld is a series about human beings interacting with advanced artificially intelligent machines in a Wild West-themed amusement park. In the series, visitors are allowed to indulge in any fantasy they wish, including the vilest of violent acts and their deepest sexual urges.

It’s because of this, and the ability to roam freely around the park, that cast member Jeffrey Wright compared the series to Rockstar’s billion-dollar open-world title Grand Theft Auto 5. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Wright said that the theme park itself was essentially a game.

“So now they’re interacting in full form with the game that is the park, and with the characters and hosts in a way that now, we kind of experience through GTA 5 and these type of role-playing games,” Wright said.

The actor noted that when the original Westworld movie came out in 1973, the height of technological advancement in video games was Pong. Now, he added, modern console gaming has inspired writers to look at what the future of technology could look like and how that impacts entertainment.

“So now we’re playing these more advanced games; we’re going to project even further down the road and try to imagine what it would be like if we actually stepped through the console and interacted with [Artificial Intelligence],” Wright said.

Westworld airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on HBO.