Westworld is Already an Anachronism (or: Why the Man in Black’s Next Hat Will Be a Headset)

Take me to the Oculus Rift, dammit!

I’m among the troops of people who’ve been thoroughly enjoying Westworld — the series offers lovely, intricate storytelling housed in a thought-provoking concept, as well as a mind-blowing opening credits sequence, kick-ass music, and equal-opportunity nudity. What’s not to like?

And while last night’s finale finally gave us the android revolt we’ve all been looking for (Hector and Armistice: Wow!), I couldn’t help but think: Is the Westworld concept already an anachronism?

The reason I ask: Why go to all the trouble to build nearly-perfect machines to populate an experience, when we’re nearly to the point where we can do it virtually? And, if we can do it virtually, will we finally cease to choose the actual over the digital, and retreat to our secret rooms and swivel chairs instead?

If you’re involved in the emerging field of virtual reality, you’ve already heard about the Void, a VR theme park operating in Utah. When you visit, you wear a VR headset powered by a super-computer housed in a backpack, and don a haptic vest to track your movements & provide sensory feedback.

The “park” itself is a building equipped with just enough structural features to make the VR-aided experience feel real — a low-tech stage that subtly pushes players into endless-feeling paths that are actually circles, and which, interestingly, bears some resemblance to the mysterious maze on Westworld.

The Maze or the Void?

The Void was founded by partners Ken Bretschneider and Curtis Hickman, who, like Ford and Arnold on Westworld, were pursuing a life-long dream. And while by all accounts, the current experience is engaging, it is nowhere near where the creators hope it will eventually be:

“But Hickman says that if they used the haptic vests’ full force, the team could make things like a shooting game where you’re genuinely worried about getting hit — not because it would cause permanent harm, but because it would be distinctly unpleasant, like a paintball shot. ‘Someday I kind of hope we get there, in a place where we can have real, almost punishing feedback for decisions and things that you do, without us being sued into the ground.’”

Westworld, yes? Only in this case, the characters with whom you interact will be digital, not physical. Much cheaper to create and maintain. And as for the “shooting and f***ing” that seem to be the major activities in an adult theme park? Well, full-body haptic suits are apparently available — rough versions of a complete, ahem, experience, for sure — but nonetheless, already here.

This dude is very happy about his Teslasuit.

So, given the coming tech, it seems unlikely that the androids, when they emerge, will come from theme parks. It’s far more likely that they’ll be the Cylons envisioned by Battlestar Galactica — designed to do the dirty work that humans hand over to them. (Although it is also likely that some of those jobs will include “sex worker.” See: AI: Artificial Intelligence.)

Which brings me to the next question: How long until these digital characters, who live in the cloud, become sentient? And what will be possible for them, once they do?

Say hello to the new boss.