The Sims Movie Has an Odd Juxtaposition to Consider from the Games

Live-action video game adaptations have been around for decades, but thanks to recent hits like The Last of Us and Fallout, it seems likely that they’re going to become even more prevalent in the coming years, with movie and TV studios having no shortage of suitable IPs to draw from. From narrative-focused games like Spec Ops: The Line and Metro 2033, to cinematic thrillers like Splinter Cell and BioShock, there are countless video game franchises that would make for great live-action adaptations, though The Sims probably isn’t anywhere near the top of that list.

A game all about making a virtual family and controlling their every move, The Sims doesn’t naturally lend itself to a big-budget live-action venture in the same way that Uncharted or Borderlands does, but that isn’t going to stop production company LuckyChap from giving it a go. Announced back in March, The Sims is getting its own big-screen adaptation, and though it’s already got some talent behind it, the movie could have a hard time capturing the core spirit of the franchise through no fault of its own.

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The Sims Movie Might Struggle to Capture the Surreal Juxtaposition of the Game

The Sims Thrives on Exaggerated Realism

Perhaps the most important conceit of the entire Sims franchise is its central juxtaposition between the mundane and the absurd. On paper, The Sims sounds like a pretty dull game, having players control a few virtual avatars as they progress relationships, go to work, eat, sleep, and enjoy hobbies. But the real hook of The Sims is that all of its life-simulator elements are usually highly exaggerated.

The average lifespan of a Sim can last anywhere between 48 and 500+ in-game days depending on the player’s settings, so naturally, the life of a Sim moves pretty fast, and it’s usually quite an eventful life. In just a few days, Sims can meet the love of their life, get married, have a child, and see that child off to college, and it’s this breakneck pace that gives The Sims a nice foundational level of surrealism. Building off that foundation are The Sims‘ more absurd qualities, such as its exaggerated life goals and personality traits, its bizarre yet iconic Simlish language, and the fact that zombies, vampires, werewolves, mermaids, and more are all able to just walk freely around the neighborhood, and that Death literally comes to take souls away.

It’s going to be a difficult task, but The Sims‘ big-screen adaptation can definitely capture this exaggerated, often absurd sense of reality. Margot Robbie’s production company LuckyChap is working on this Sims movie project, and there are plenty of lessons it can take from last year’s Barbie and apply to Sims, with that movie managing to capture a sense of surrealism very well.

The Sims Movie Is Missing a Key Ingredient

But The Sims movie might be missing a vital piece of the puzzle, and it’s through no fault of its production company, but the very medium it belongs to. Much of the humor and enjoyment of The Sims experience comes from being the one in control of these avatars, and being the one directly responsible for their exaggerated actions. While watching a Sim get trapped in a pool, or watching a family grow absurdly old in just a few minutes could still evoke humor from audiences, it won’t have the same impact as when the player is directly in charge of those exaggerated moments.

The Sims

EA’s life simulation franchise The Sims began in the year 2000 with a game of the same name that was, at one point, the highest-selling PC game of all time. 

The main series games let players build a home, create a handful of characters, and then guide them through their relationships, careers, and goals.