'The Sims' game has been turned into a reality show, and players are competing for $100,000
- The popular computer game "The Sims" is getting a reality show later this month.
- "The Sims Spark'd" debuts July 17, and will feature contestants competing for $100,000 to show off their creativity and storytelling capabilities.
- "The Sims" has been around for 20 years, and is wildly popular thanks to its accessibility and ease to play.
"The Sims" is the latest video game to turn its virtual world into a real-life competition.
Electronic Arts, the company behind the wildly popular computer game, has unveiled the launch of a new reality game show where contestants play "The Sims" to compete for a $100,000 grand prize. The show, called "The Sims Spark'd," will pit players against each other in a series of challenges to show off their design and storytelling prowess within the game.
The first season consists of just four episodes, and will debut July 17.
"The Sims" franchise has been around for 20 years, and has captured a fervent userbase attracted to its real-life simulation storytelling, as well as how accessible and easy it is to play. "The Sims 4," the most recent iteration of the game costing $40, has more than 20 million unique players worldwide.
"The Sims Spark'd" is looking to capitalize on its massive following, and also positions itself in the center of two lucrative billion-dollar markets that have continued to flourish uninhibited by the coronavirus pandemic: reality TV and competitive esports.
The show is a collaborative production among EA, BuzzFeed, and ELeague, the esports league from media conglomerate Turner Broadcasting. Because of the partnership, the show will air weekly on Turner-owned cable channel TBS, and will be available to watch on YouTube the following Monday on BuzzFeed Multiplayer's channel.
The competition will be judged by "Sims" developer Dave Miotke, BuzzFeed producer Kelsey Impicciche, and songwriter Tayla Parx — who is also a voice actor for the "Sims" series.
Watch the trailer for "The Sims Spark'd," which debuts July 17 at 11 p.m. ET.