Is the future of the Western genre destined to be dictated by the desires of individuals?

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Illustration by Hannah Kneisley.

We know that the romantic image of the Wild West in pop culture is a lie.

This makes it one of the top 50 best selling games of all time.

And its not just video games that are capitalizing on this revitalized infatuation.

No, the success ofRed Dead RedemptionandWestworldis based on an often unspoken factor: our desire for control.

The feeling of being in control cannot be underestimated.

As ominous as that sounds, the key word in that observation is perception.

Rather than actual control, Leotti argues, Perception of control is likely adaptive for survival.

The American West was founded by those tired of the lack of opportunities in the industrialized east.

Any man could claim 160 acres of land by working on it for five years.

Let the government worry about manifest destiny; they had control over their own destinies.

InRed Dead Redemption, control is more than an idea.

Control is quite literally in your hands.

In reality, however, players often gravitate to places just beyond the games narrative boundaries.

This same philosophy is very much in play throughout HBOsWestworld.

Because Westworld allows you to truly become someone else, whose fate is entirely in your hands.

They have the resources to be who they say they want to be in both Westworld and their world.

They seek an adventure that feels unique to them.

Because its the perception of control that we seek in escapism.

In a strange way, this recent trend brings the appeal of the Western full circle.

Anything less was seen as a lie.

It is a dramatic game, but it celebrates the spirit of the Western more than it denounces it.

Red Deadopenly touches upon this subject matter, butWestworldis built on it.

They know its all a game, but its a game they want to play.

It is that quality which enables these characters to speak so loudly to the viewers.

Our favorite characters are often the ones who would play the game as we would.

Or perhaps we all just harbor a desire to traverse open plains with our rifles and ponies.