Scraping the Barrel / Dustin Rowles
Trade News | September 23, 2008 | Comments (33)
I never quite understood the appeal of The Sims, the video game. It seemed like a longer, slightly more complex, computer version of the board game, Life, only it sucked out hundreds of your life’s hours, instead of 15 minutes. Mrs. Pajiba-hyphenate was a freak for it, which was always kind of mind boggling to me. But then again, I play fantasy football, so where the fuck do I get off, right?
Anyway, yeah: They’re making a movie based on the video game, which seems — in theory — to be completely fucking impossible, unless the filmmakers were going to figure out a way to create a “chose your own adventure” film. For the unfamiliar, The Sims is a real-life computer simulation game, where you basically get a job, buy a house, raise a family, and make hundreds of everyday mundane decisions with the stroke of your mouse. I asked Mrs. Pajiba-hyphenate what she thought of the idea of making a movie from that, and she said, “That’s the stupidest idea I’ve heard since they made the Cavemen into a television show. If the Geico lizard records a pop album, we’re leaving the country.” Hmph.
Anyway, apparently, the movie has a premise. And, according to the producer (via Slashfilm), it has a Weird Science element to it:
The Sims, as you know, you can control your imaginary world, right? And our movie, a young man, a 16 year old kid of a 14 year old kid and his friend get their hands on this thing called the Sims Infinity Pack, right, which kind of this very strange video game store which was there just for that moment, and seemingly wasn’t all that. But what they realize is that they can scan their world in, because this is the most life like, real Sims game ever. And as they are playing this they are all of a sudden realizing is what they are playing on the game is having an effect on the real world. So in effect, through the game, they are able to control their world. It’s wish fulfillment, and obviously it turns against them.”
Yup. Stupidest fucking idea of the year.
Comments
Posted by: The Wanderer at September 23, 2008 3:15 PM
Um, wasn't this the plot of both Jumanji and Zathura? That the game actually alters/affects reality?
Either way, I predict it'll suck sweaty elephant balls. And there's no cheat code to prevent the suckage.