The Sims is getting its own reality TV show this MONTH
No doubt it will be as addictive as the game
Last updated 9th Jul 2020
The Sims franchise and its various expansions became some of the most popular and addictive games around for many years, and now it's taken a new turn.
Announced with a trailer on the official YouTube channel for The Sims, The Sims Spark'd is a creative reality TV show competition. Teams from around the world go head-to-head to build design characters in The Sims, build houses and tell original stories using the very popular computer game.
In the trailer, viewers get a chance to see how the teams are given challenges 'designed to inspire creativity,' within a two-hour time limit.
The teams are all competing for the $100,000 prize, however it's not without its ups and downs, showing some of the contestants breaking down in tears as they describe one of the plots being very personal to them.
Buzzfeed Multiplayer’s Kelsey Impicciche, singer Tayla Parx, and The Sims developer David Miotke are judges on the show, with The Sims’ general manager Lyndsay Pearson, saying, "Since its inception, The Sims has been a groundbreaking experience, allowing players to create and virtually live out the stories they create in-game.
"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."
The Sims Spark’d premieres on 17th July in the US and is available on Buzzfeed Multiplayer from 20th July.
Now take a look at classic computer games we'd LOVE to play again:
Tetris
Everyone knows and loves Tetris, but the game has to be THE classic Game Boy game. Originally black and white, the game was hugely addictive for kids in the early 90s.
By linking up two Game Boys you could even play two-player with a friend. It seemed revolutionary in an Internet-free world.
Solitaire
It's been included on Windows machines since 1990!
Originally written by a bored Microsoft intern, the game was apparently included with the operating system to help people get to grips using the mouse and dragging and dropping, in a time when using a mouse was still very new.
GoldenEye 007
It was reimagined in 2010, but the original GoldenEye 007 was released back in 1997. Based on the 1995 film GoldenEye, the game gave up to four players the chance to play against each other on the same screen.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Where Nintendo had Mario on the Game Boy, Sega had Sonic the Hedgehog on their Game Gear.
Racing through levels to save animals imprisoned by Doctor Robotnik, who he wants to turn into robots, the game was a hit with kids in the early 90s.
Of course, over the years, Sonic has become a fan-favourite character spawning several games and even a film released in 2020.
Mario Kart
Dating WAY back to 1992 with the release of Super Mario Kart, Nintendo has continued to release new games right up until October 2020.
In the Mario Kart games players get to see all their favourite Nintendo characters racing against each other, avoiding banana skins and Bowser Bombs.
Lemmings
Oh no!
Everyone's favourite green-haired computer game characters, Lemmings, (and future games), were very popular for many years. Fans had to try and get all of their little creatures to safety, past big drops, flames and over water.
Sega Rally
Dating back to 1994, the Sega Rally franchise continued until 2011, when Sega Rally Online Arcade was released.
It was known for its great graphics for the time and was available on a number of platforms including of course in the arcade.
Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land celebrated 30 years since its European release in 2020. Originally released for the Game Boy, of course it was only available in black and white, but subsequent games have been released including the 2011 title Super Mario 3D Land.
SSX Tricky
SSX Tricky was released in the early noughties and was the follow-up to SSX.
The game featured some fantastic music including Run-DMC's 'It's Tricky', with added voiceover from Rahzel, an American beatboxer and rapper.
The game featured several fun characters who each had their own special moves, or Ubers as they were called.
TimeSplitters 2
With levels like Notre Dame, Siberia, and Chicago, and characters like Duckman Drake, Robofish and Cortez, it could only be TimeSplitters. The first game was released in 2000, with TimeSplitters 2, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect and TimeSplitters 4 released in subsequent years.
Tekken
There have been plenty of Tekken games over the years. Starting in WAY back in 1994, the first Tekken games were released as a trilogy on the PlayStation.
Tekken Tag Tournament was released in 1999, and we're now up to Tekken 7, released in 2015, with Tekken 8 planned for 2024.
Crazy Taxi
Crazy Taxi was a very popular arcade game, as well as being available on home consoles.
The game saw players driving around picking up passengers, taking them to their destinations, whilst desperately trying not to scare them away with terrifyingly bad driving.
"Taxi!"
Time Crisis
Starting out in arcades, Time Crisis became a very popular console game in 1997. The first game was followed by a two-player sequel released in arcades in 1998 and on the PlayStation in 2001.
Hands up, who has spent way too much time playing?
Quake
The first Quake game was released way back in 1996, but several games have been released since.
If you liked a first-person shooter with some memorable voiceovers then this was the game for you. "Denied!"
Dancing Stage
Another arcade favourite to make it into our living rooms was Dancing Stage (or Dance Dance Revolution - DDR to many).
Of course the games are still being released thick and fast, however the first game was released back in 1998. The DDR games included a mixture of well-known hits and some more obscure songs for players to dance along to.
Tony Hawk's
There have been many Tony Hawk's skateboarding games released over the years. The first one, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, was released back in 1999 and gave players the chance to try out all sorts of tricks and as well as games Graffiti, Trick Attack, and HORSE.
Final Fantasy VII
More than two decades ago (1997) Final Fantasy VII became THE game to play, spending hours, if not days following the main character Cloud Strife.
The game was re-released in 2020 for a new generation.
Crash Bandicoot
Set in the fictitious Wumpa Islands off the coast of Australia, Crash Bandicoot was originally a Sony PlayStation exclusive, first released back in 1996.
Speedball 2
Speedball 2 was a 90s classic, which was re-released in the noughties with improved graphics. The games saw players battle it out in a futuristic battleground, a bit like an American Football game set in the future.
Who remembers the half time call, "Ice cream, ice cream, anyone for ice cream?"
Super Smash Bros.
Originally released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, Super Smash Bros. saw players controlling some of Nintendo's favourite characters, including Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby and Link.
Instead of having a health bar, players had to smash the other players off a stage to win the round.
Spyro the Dragon
A PlayStation classic released in 1998, Spyro the Dragon has spawned a number of spin-off games since. In Spyro the Dragon, the young dragon and his dragonfly friend Sparx, trekked across the Dragon Kingdom to defeat Gnasty Gnorc.
Worms
Cast your mind back to the mid-90s and Worms was a big hit, it was a game where players would take it in turn to kill the other team's worms using some outrageous looking weapons.
A spin-off game called Worms Rumble was released in December 2020, available on most consoles and Microsoft Windows.
Video games that are perfect to keep you fit when you're in lockdown