“Sims” fans, the inevitable has finally come to pass. 20 years after hitting the shelves of GameStops everywhere, the iconic video game “The Sims” is finally getting the reality TV treatment. If you’re thinking, “Wait, but doesn’t a Sims-style television show already loosely exist in the form of Big Brother?” think again, because this one’s the real deal. Per Variety, “The Sims Spark’d,” a reality television competition series, is headed to TBS and Buzzfeed on July 17. The show will feature 12 contestants as they play “The Sims,” competing in challenges held within the virtual-world game. That’s right, it’s a television show where you watch people play “The Sims.” The gamers amongst us continue to eat in quarantine.
“The Sims Spark’d” will split its contestants, all “notable members of “The Sims” online community,” into three categories - character design, home building and story - as they break into teams and compete for a $100,000 grand prize. The four-episode series will be hosted by Season 14 “American Idol” finalist Rayvon Owen and will feature a three-judge panel consisting of BuzzFeed Multiplayer producer and YouTube personality Kelsey Impicciche, singer-songwriter Tayla Parx, and game developer Dave “SimGuruNinja” Miotke.
For reasons that may be slightly coronavirus related, “The Sims” has been more successful then ever for Electronic Arts which publishes the video game. EA reports that the newest edition of the franchise, “The Sims 4,” hit a peak high of almost 10 million unique visitors in the past quarter, with 2.5 million joining in the last two months. “Since its inception, ‘The Sims’ has been a groundbreaking experience, allowing players to create and virtually live out the stories they create in-game,” said the GM of “The Sims” franchise, Lyndsay Pearson. “That’s also why this show is so exciting. We’re continuing that innovative spirit, bringing our community together to compete and showcase their in-game storytelling on a reality show in an entirely new way.” If they somehow find a way to incorporate Katy Perry singing “Last Friday Night” in Simlish, we’re in.
