Slashdot Mirror
"The Sims" To Have Its Own TV Series?
rev420 writes "Variety.com and SimEden.com are reporting that Maxis is working with Tri Star Television and Pet Fly Productions ("The Flash", "The Sentinel", "Viper") on a potential television show based on "The Sims"." This sounds pretty lame... unless they use my Sim Neighborhood: I used skins from 20 Female Television stars ranging from the girls of Friends, Xena, Buffy, and beyond. I made many households and played the game normally for awhile. After the ladies all fell in love with each other, purchased everything available in the game, and had successfull careers, I started luring
neighbors over and trapping them in my attic, or drowning them in my pool. You haven't lived until you've seen Xena Warrior Princess die
in a terrible grill fire while Sculley flails her arms in terror. Now that would be good TV. Especially with anatomically correct skins.
Those are pretty misogynistic statements you've made, Taco. I think you need some psychiatric help to figure out why you're so hostile towards women. Have you been rejected one-to-many times, or what? You should seriously look into this, and oh yeah, thanks for alienating all the female readers of /.
...It was called Big Brother. Guess what? We didn't like it the first time around.
I'd pay to watch The Sims Host a LAN Party. One of the Sims storys we can all appreciate.
...is that it is the *first* software title, simulation or otherwise, to be a big hit among females (that are not geek-types in the first place). I mean, heck, I like the game, but my wife *loves* it. Another interesting bit: Here in Japan the "Livin' Large" expansion is titled "Happy Life". The phrase "Happi Raifu" means essentially "wedded bliss" and is one that shows up mostly in girls comic books. It is obviously meant to attract women, and it runs the risk of repelling most men. I mean heck, why would I buy a game titled "Happy Life", when Japanese software outlets typically have several hundred games with titles like "Enormous Breasts"?
"Reactionaries must be deprived of the right to voice their opinions; only the people have that right." - Mao
I don't know, you hit on an interesting point. If the TV show is going to be anything like the game, every character needs to, (at least once per week): pee his/her pants, throw a tantrum, and then pass out on the floor in rapid succession. I might tune in for a couple episodes of that. P.S., why doesn't the hot tub take care of the Sims' "bladder" needs? They must not use hot tubs the way I do.
"Reactionaries must be deprived of the right to voice their opinions; only the people have that right." - Mao
Am I the only human being alive who enjoyed the Wing Commander movie?
I couldn't agree more with your analysis of The Sims' gameplay. Apparently we are in the minority, though, since The Sims was a huge commercial success. Apparently, the mass market loves really boring games -- look at the runaway success of the screensaver-esque Deer Hunter and its thousand clones and sequels.
I play computer games because they aren't reality... if I feel like cleaning my house, taking a bath, and socializing with my friends, I'll do that instead of playing a game. A game needs to immerse me in another world, or I have no interest in it. Half-Life, Deus Ex, the old Ultima series, Baldur's Gate... the games I like the best are the ones that create a living, breathing, different world. I don't need a computer simulation of the one that's already around me.
Commander Taco, forget the abuse from these silly wannabe feminist-cause-chix-dig-that men and hyper sensitive Americans who think that any mention of sexuality is automatically harrassment.
This is very very funny. If I had sims this is what I'd do. Though probably with more cute TV boys than you have in your house.
xxxxxx
No matter how cynical you become, it's never enough to keep up.
And they say Doom made kids kill. I can just see this little but being used on the news as how warped the internet is...
ZOMG I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS ON MACINTOSH VERSUS WINDOWS, VI VERSUS EMACS, AND HOW YOU'RE NOT A DORK
Great, just what we need - another insipid, Pokemon-esque TV show devised solely to sell some company's product. I won't be watching; I have less commercial things to watch, like baseball and soccer and ... oops. Never mind.
Sentinal was cool. I thought I was the only person who watched it.
Had Jeri Ryan in a bikini, too.
--
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
See this story on kuro5hin if you don't know what I mean.
Please.
And if you think I'm right, or you disagree and want to defend yourself, please write me.
-- Michael Chermside
What about a white van, & some fertilizer?
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"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
As long as they use those creepy Duracell Commercial people, I'm happy.
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rooooar
I doubt they really missed the boat by thinking "people would play" the game. Hell, it's been sitting at number 1 on the software bestseller list for months.
Yeah, I thought it was cool too. Saw in subtitled on local Danish TV where I live :)
Hmm well the biggest fan of the sims I know is female, so go figure :P
Come on! That was pretty funny. Admit it.
You know you laughed.
Execute? [Y/N] _
I had a girlfriend who played this game, she was SO caught up in it, I mean she played it day and night, I still to this day do not know WHY. The game is SO boring, and ignorant. yet, she loves it dearly.
Some things are best left unknown.
Anybody rember a show in the 80's called Herman's Head? I don't think The Sims as a tv show would be a hit. In the show Herman's head, Herman had a t least 4 or 5 characters in his head that basically fought over a chair, and the person who was sitting in the chair was in control of Herman. For example, if the party animal was in control of Herman's head, he might say something incredible crude to a woman that he wanted to date or along those lines. I don't remeber this being a big hit . The couple of times I watched it for a few seconds, I wasn't interested and went back to flipping channels.
Considering the popularity of the game, and this is just a personal observation, does it ever seem reminescent of playing with dolls (only better)?
I mean, here you are, controlling your sim's lives, except you don't control absolutely anything.
I love deadlines. I like the "whoosh" sound they make as they fly by. -- Douglas Adams
Ok, I thought I'd drop by, see how slashdot was doing, whether things have improved...
A story post by CT waxing about his favourite happy-time playing The Sims.
Outtahere.
-- Life is short. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. ~ Robert Doisneau
Boars you to death? Go watch Hannibal and say that. :P
And i would pay to see a scene like that! Sure beats the hell out of most sitcoms today
Non-Deterministic Finite Automata
I think perhaps we learnt a little too much about CmdrTaco's (not so) private (and disturbing) fantasies...
My experience with the Sims was rather negative. I started out by creating my character and playing for a few hours... I got bored with it, as I tend to do with games, and started haxx0ring it.
I h4xx0r3d myself up a ton of money, and set to work building "The Sims Skinner Box!"
I put a 'fridge on one end, boxed the people in with it, and made a complex maze leading up to a toilet.
My Sims all died, standing in puddles of their own urine. Poor bastards. If only they could navigate a maze, that terrible tragedy could have been avoided.
I then attempted to create an M.C. Escher-esque house, but the game's structure was too rigid. Why CAN'T I have stairs coming out of the walls, leading to nowhere? Damn Maxis. They stifle my creativity at every turn.
A friend of mine had his own magical "The Sims" experience, which he chronicled at this URL:
The Secret of Happiness, Sims-style
Taco needs a psych evaluation, methinks...
This isn't the first time The Sims appeared on prime time. Drew Carey is a very big (hyuk, hyuk) fan of the game; in return for having plugged the game on the show, he is slated to appear in a Sims expansion pack.
How do you get off putting that kind of stuff in the headline for crying out loud? Seriously; if we want women (particularly inteligent ones) to read this site and participate in the community (slashdot or the tech world - take you pick) then you should try and see things from another perspective before you post such stuff.
Hmm, no, I think you miss the point.. As Good American Consumers, we love the idea of controlling one or more people in their boring, mundane in order to *buy stuff*. It's the american dream.. Is there an option in the Sims to invest your money? Hell no. You buy a big screen TV to increase your "entertainment" lifeforce. The goal of sims is the same as american life (he with the most stuff "wins")...
Shayne
Today I didn't even have to use my AK; I got to say it was a good day -- Icecube
Is that there are a lot of weird shows coming out of the woodwork that are beneficial to the TV industry because they do not use real actors. With all of the impending strike doom, the networks are all looking to alternatives (Survivor-esque and otherwise) that don't require real actors...
El Karma: excelente(principalmente la suma de moderación hecha a los comentarios de los usuarios)
While for a show to be successful in general, it needs to have one or more big stars (who are all union and subject to the strike) there is no neccessity for stars in a voice-acting situation... Sure it helps, but the success of the show isn't dependent on it.
El Karma: excelente(principalmente la suma de moderación hecha a los comentarios de los usuarios)
For the sims on the computer there is a patch to remove the censor box when someone got into the shower, tub, etc. I was wondering if there would be the same thing for the movie. Well, they could still probably make it PG-13 with today's standards.
Does anyone actually play those sim games all the way through? My cities never made it more than a couple of (real life) days before I gave in to temptaion and sent in the godzilla and the earthquake and the fire, etc.
I'm sure we'll hear about someone who's had some city running since 1994 on his 386. He's burned out two monitors, five keyboards and eight mice, but his citizens are all happy with their mayor that's been in office for the past 8000 years.
Stupid Cheap Guitars
uh, their best series was "The Sentinel" which isn't exactly popular.
maybe they're making it just so that they can later develop a spinoff called "Sim-sons."
Use my userscript to add story images to Slashdot. There's no going back.
The Sims is a ton of fun, but honestly, if you've ever played it, you'd know that torturing your Sims is the best part of the game. I enjoyed creating a lazy unemployed bachelor Sim who did nothing but sleep on the couch and watch TV all day...and then joyfully watched him freak out when I sold his TV and set his couch on fire.
That stuff was just crap....
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(Note for moderators: There should probably be a "+1 Drunk" or "-1 Drunk" choice available. Any stats on how many Slashdotters post while wasted? I only bring this up because I've noticed a substantial drop in the level of the bottle of rum beside the computer, and I'm pretty sure the dog isn't responsible...)
Random Musings at Rum Smuggler
Reminds me of that Nickelodeon commercial "back in the day"...
First, there were video games...Then, there was Virtual Reality
But now, there's something even better
Feel the weight of the ball--because you're actually holding it!
Feel the wind through your hair--because you're actually outside!
Hilarious commercial, anyway.
Dlugar
Computer Go: Writing Software to Play the Ancient Game of Go
i've been living without a tv for almost two years. it really motivates you to go home to the parents to watch tv, i mean for dinner and go to the fitness center to watch tv, i mean work out. i now spend my nights surfing the web for porn (on a 56k line) for entertainment. i think i just might have to buy that sims game to watch others live their lives.
Why did I lurk so long before registering for a Slashdot account? I could have had a Slashdot ID of less than 100000.
Second, it should be spelled Scully, if you are referring to the X-Files' "foxy" agent. (No network pun intended. Really.)
Third, until you get the sitcomical sexual plot twists going, you don't have television potential. We've got a gay male couple on NBC's Will and Grace, so why not a lesbian couple? Or more of them, for that matter? (normally I wouldn't make such a comment, but I feel like this site is dominated by males for some reason.)
The site is made for me, not you. If I wanted to manipulate it to please you, then I would. But why the hell would I want to do that?
No. It would be a lot more fun if you could though. You're pretty much limited to removing doors and such for your psychotic fun.
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Username taken, please choose another one.
Maxis usually makes decent games, but they definitely missed the boat when they though[t] people would play a game that involves such uninteresting gameplay.
Here's a quote Gamespot's early January sales run-down:
In what has become somewhat of a routine, The Sims took first place in the most recent PC Data list of best-selling games, which covers the week of January 7-13, 2001. The virtual life game has been almost continuously in the top ten list since its release in early 2000, and lately it has been taking the top spot. Second place went to The Sims: Livin' Large expansion pack, which knocked Hasbro's incredibly popular Roller Coaster Tycoon down to third place...
Lord, I only hope I can miss that same boat some day.
We know where leadership by an anti-intellectual "strongman" who scapegoats minorities and likes boisterous rallies goes
of the nature of the game! What I really enjoyed about the Sims is that there is no real "goal." All sitcoms are these 30-minute packages where everything ends up fine at the end. Has this ever happened in a Sims game? It's not goal-oriented like a TV show plot, so I don't see how it could be carried through on. That, and there aren't really recognizable characters (like Mario, Sonic or other vid characters).
All other video games movies have sucked. As for TV shows, there WAS a Mortal Kombat TV show, and from what I heard it was okay.
I personally can't see how The Sims will translate to a TV show. I mean part of the appeal of the concept to start with is playing God and ruining the lives of your sims. Remove the control aspect, and what do you have? A pretty freakin' bland soap opera.
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Does anyone actually have a Java program designed to control air traffic, or for the operation of a nuclear facility?
Sweet! I'd watch it! Be better than most TV right now.
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...it'll be a hoot.
I doubt they will, though.
--Perianwyr Stormcrow
What we call folk wisdom is often no more than a kind of expedient stupidity.-Edward Abbey
I supposed to could have your terrorist scenarios, inner city setups, complete with drive by shootings, etc. But after a while I find I am much more interested in world design where real people can have fun, and my interest in the sims drops off.
In other words, I like a bigger game.
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
Hmm. They are going to have a show about a game that immitates life. I hope the show is unlike the game in that most of the characters' time wont be spent trying to make it to the bathroom. Then again . . .
I highly doubt this show will be any good. Though this is a show instead of a movie, any movies that were based off games all sucked (such as Super Mario Brothers and Mortal Kombat).
Just watch one of those two movies thirteen times and KABLAMO! You got your self the first season of "The Sims".
I simply misrepresented my postition on Mortal Kombat. I was refering to the sequal but forgot to mention that.
And just to let you know, fagot (or it's variant faggot) are defined as:But if you feel like scrolling all the way down to the bottom of the page you will find a slang definition:
Now, just how exactly, have I openly shown that I'm in any way homosexual? I'm waiting for you answer (FYI: My girlfriend is very curious too)
I know he's been posting a lot of Slashdot stories lately, but giving Michael Sims his own TV show is surely over the top....
arnald
The Flash - Shitty, nothing else
Viper - Once again, good idea very shitty
Sentinel - OK, but sucked nuts after a few shows. It would have been better as a porno.
What if the producers of the show incorporated viewer responses to develop the show? What if weekly polls determined the outcome of the game/simulation/show in the same way that is done in some reality tv shows?
!-- wit --!
That sounds stupid as hell. It won't last more than one season IF they ever make the thing.
...All I can say is that my life is pretty strange...
I moved into my first real apartment last weekend and I still haven't had the cable installed. After hearing this, I just may continue to go TVless.
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Technoli
Can you also buy a rifle with a scope?
Just wondering.
"A microprocessor... is a terrible thing to waste." --
"A microprocessor... is a terrible thing to waste." --
GeneralEmergency
What about applying the nudity patch to the TV show??? Nah...
samrolken
It's improved!
It's free!
It's Actual Reality!
Talk to friends, walk the dog, smell the flowers just like the people on TV! You may be asking yourself, "How can I sign up?" Chances are, you already have!
Offer not available in all areas. Some restrictions apply.
This
So this would be Virtual Reality TV?
Lets see.
We've progressed from imitating reality (sitcoms) to reality (reality tv) to imitating virtual reality with reality mixed in?
This is all too confusing, I'm going to go play Sim Life and see if something better evolves.
I can just see it. It'll have absolutely nothing to do with Sims. They'll just make it a sort of copy of the Simpsons. The name is similar enough to confuse the non-gamers. At least that's probably the reason most people will watch it the first time.
Mod me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!
I have to stand back, just dumbfounded that somebody actually greenlighted this show. I refuse to beleive there's no better pilots being shopped around. I guess this is -1 troll but does anyone have any interest in seeing this show?
-Jeff
-Jeff
I like to play with Shiny Objects and Yarn.
When I first started playing, a neighbor walked into my house. We were both males, but I noticed one of the available options was "Tickle". He shoved me, and never came back. I cracked up laughing, and decided to start calling him at 3 AM.
Sadly, though, I ended up quitting, because my character got to be in such horrible health that he refused to look for a job or clean up, and eventually couldn't afford food. Another highlight: when he ran out of money, he had a maid cleaning -- she took my trashcan as collateral!
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suwain_2
Screw the Sims, what we really need is a Leisure Suit Larry show. Now that would be worth watching!
The Flash? The Sentinel? Viper? I don't see how this could possibly have an even remote chance of not sucking obscene amounts of ass.
Make the characters, or some of them, controllable through the internet. Viewers could enter their email to win a chance to play one of the characters for an episode.
-- Nerds on toast in the new millenium
Yes, there will be a "The Sims Online". Maxis is also developing a "The Sims 2", the sequel to "The Sims" (duh). The "Online" version is strictly that - online; it's also more of a self-expression and communication game. I guess you could call it the simulation of a chat room. :)
Wow...watching people walk into walls, stand there and scream when the oven catches on fire (for the sixth time that week), and then die in a puddle of their own piss when you decide to build a wall surrounding the pathetic "Sim".
:p
Riiiight, that sounds like entertainment
Jeez...at least if they made a show based on something like Conker's Bad Fur Day, we could all laugh at the raunchy humor like the Operatic Shit (literally) like the children that we are.
A TV show based on a computer game? What a crappy, stupid idea. Why the next thing you know, they'll be giving Bette Middler her own show.
Zork: The T.V. Show - A half hour every week of scrolling text and the sound of a keyboard...
-- "Flying is the art of falling and missing the ground"
From the article: A new Sims Online version of the game is being planned for launch in February that would require the purchase of software to be played through the Web site EA.com. The Series being developed is a live-action sitcom about a normal family, called the McNallys, that move into Sim City, said Danny Bilson, VP of intellectual properties for EA, and executive producer and writer of the planned show. The '50s-style program would have a host named Bill Simmons. Every week a new character created by a real-life consumer at Sims Online would be introduced along with the creator, who would be flown in. The family and host will migrate online, interacting with real players at EA.com.
Diplomacy is the art of letting people have your way
I know its easy to critisize, but... Am I the only person that thinks that somebody is getting overpaid to deliver CHEESE? How bout a little creativity? Some NEW ideas? And a little imagination?
--Joe Nerd
--Joe Nerd
I hate sigs, and suggest we all stop using them.
It sounds like something i've already seen...
Will it be just like the movie? If it's as addictive as the game is, i think it'll be like the movie!!!
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I know life isn't fair, but why can't it ever be un-fair in MY favor!?
a live action show where we follow all the regular sitcom shite (the characters interact by themselves in the game don't they?), but with a hand zooming around which can do fun things, like;
Click->Turn Off TV->Argument Ensues->Someone Gets Punched;
or perhaps Click->Remove Toilet->Soggy Carpet->People Get Evicted. stuff like that.
i think it could be fun to watch...that is, of course, assuming the TV executives are interested in making a really good show that doesn't piss all over the game.
hey, _I_ trust them. don't you?
"One seeks a midwife for his thoughts, another someone to whom he can be a midwife: thus originates a good conversation.