I went to San Diego Comic-Con and ended up in Westworld

HBO’s series Westworld has sparked some useful cultural shorthand for describing any kind of live entertainment where participants directly engage with actors and environments to create their own story. A Disney resort where people can have their own Star Wars adventures? That’s a Westworld. An 11-month-long immersive experience where participants try to save a young woman from a supernatural cult? That’s a Westworld, too. So perhaps it shouldn’t come as a total shock that when it came time to promote its own show, HBO decided to just bring the real thing to San Diego Comic-Con International.

The goal of Westworld: The Experience is exactly that: give visitors an idea of what it would feel like to step inside the television show itself. Designed by New York-based marketing agency Campfire, it doesn’t bother with virtual reality or other technological gimmickry. It’s a tactile, human experience, relying on sets, props, and a cast of wonderfully dedicated actors to work its magic.

The journey actually begins at a hotel next to the convention center. There, a player piano plinks out the various rock covers and themes from the show, while a massive sign for the Westworld park — A Delos Destination™, it specifies — hangs nearby. The mood is instantly set by two Delos representatives, clad head-to-toe in white, who help guests sign up for their visits later in the day.

When I arrived for my appointment at the actual venue (it’s nestled in San Diego’s nearby Gaslamp Quarter), my group was greeted by another host, who guided us upstairs into the Delos offices. And when I say “the Delos offices,” I mean it felt exactly like stepping into one of the company’s offices, as seen on the show. Behind a frosted glass door, a large video screen played the Westworld promotional reel, and another group of hosts showed us the clothing, weaponry, and costumes used in the park.

Bringing out props and costumes is a go-to for the promotional installations that pop up at places like Comic-Con and SXSW. But there was already an important distinction setting this experience apart. We weren’t being showed costumes from the show Westworld. These hosts were showing us items that were being used at Westworld, the resort. It was a subtle distinction — a signal that we were having an “in-show” experience rather than a promotional one — but it set the tone for what was to come.

A table filled with guns and knives dominated the room, and as I peered closer, one of the hosts asked me which weapon I preferred. His performance was so committed, so perfectly in sync with the hosts in the series, that I found myself playing along earnestly. I told him I would have normally picked a gun, but that the large bowie knife had caught my eye. Then, running with the moment, I presented him with a real concern: “If I kill a host in the park, will it feel like killing a person?” I asked.

He leaned in. “If you can’t tell the difference, does it matter?”

Now, I know he was riffing on a line from the show. What I don’t know is whether that was a stock rejoinder the actor had ready for this kind of exchange, or a moment of pure improvisation. Either way, it didn’t matter. It was a pitch-perfect Westworld response, with even the actor’s delivery filled with moral ambiguity and a dark call to action. And I was completely hooked.

My group of six were slowly split up and taken to processing rooms, where we would each have one-on-one evaluations to determine whether we were mentally fit for what was ahead. In the hallways, the attention to detail was remarkable for this kind of event. Every single door had a specific label and purpose; when I asked about the pained moans coming from behind a door marked “R&D,” our host had a ready response. “That’s our research and development lab,” he said. “But this trip, we’re focusing on Westworld.” A reference to the slaughter at the end of the first season? A tease for what’s to come? It could have been either, but every moment and piece of signage had been considered, perpetuating the illusion of being wrapped inside the show.

As for the evaluation process itself, I can only say it was an example of how effective interacting with a good actor can be. I was asked a series of questions: what percentage of my dreams I would characterize as nightmares? If I had to lose a finger, which would I pick? They all had a vaguely Voight-Kampff feel, but it was the performer, reacting to my responses in real time while nailing the slightly detached, perfectly pleasant vocal characteristics of a Delos host, that brought it to life.

For my final question, I was presented with a dilemma: I’m in a saloon with five other people when bandits burst in and kill everyone. The outlaws offer me a gun, and the opportunity to join them, leave, or fight back. What would I do?

I don’t want to reveal my exact answer, but when it came time for the host to choose either a white or a black hat for me, she opted for the latter option.

My group reconvened and we were shown a brief promo video — this was actually the weakest part of the experience, because it broke the illusion everyone else had been so busy creating — and then we walked down a long hallway toward a single door. It was the entrance to the park itself: the Mariposa Saloon.

At this point, the experience essentially turned into a low-key, themed cocktail party. An actor at the bar played a riff on Thandie Newton’s character, Maeve Millay, while another player piano provided the musical accompaniment. Behind the bar, the bartender (a Chicago-based mixologist named Paul McGee) prepared three different speciality cocktails for my group. It wasn’t exactly authentic to the saloon in the show — the real Westworld usually comes across as a “straight whiskey or nothing” kind of place — but the drinks added an air of high-end trendiness that did seem like it would be in line with Delos’ clientele.

As my group started talking among ourselves, we compared notes about the various answers we’d given our different hosts. That’s when I realized the final question suggested a scenario where I would be in a saloon with five other people when violence broke out. And there I was, standing in a saloon with five other people.

That violence never materialized. The experience ultimately petered out with a Delos host entering the saloon, ushering us back into the real world and out of the company’s offices. But for 30 minutes or so, Westworld: The Experience actually did an incredibly good job of opening the door into a fictional world and ushering my group inside. Comic-Con has only just begun, but I’m already comfortable saying that the Westworld experience will be one of this year’s highlights for me — if not the highlight.

Brand activations and promotional experiences are never-ending at place like Comic-Con, and they often get fans in the doors by relying on whatever new technology trend is emerging at a given moment. It’s how you end up with conventions full of mediocre Samsung Gear VR movie tie-ins. But HBO and Campfire leaned away from from that trend, focusing instead on real, human interactions. The results aren’t just fun, they’re aligned with the themes of the shows being promoted.

With the rise of theme parks, escape rooms, and immersive theater, it’s clear that audiences have an increasing appetite for entertainment experiences that go beyond passive screen-watching or traditional gaming. The popularity of the Westworld show itself might be further proof, and with massive corporations like Disney embracing the trend to lure audiences away from their living rooms, these kinds of projects will only become more ubiquitous. What’s wonderful about something like Westworld: The Experience is that it’s a perfect gateway drug: a way for people who have never seen a piece of immersive entertainment to kick the tires and see what it’s like to be present in a fictional world, or play a scene opposite an actor.

The only downside is that the installation will only be running through this Sunday at Comic-Con. Westworld: The Experience could easily be remounted in different locations in the future, and HBO does have a history of touring things like the escape room installation it brought to SXSW this year. But if you’re at Comic-Con and enjoy Westworld at all, don’t think twice: go.

Photography by Bryan Bishop / The Verge