The Project: “Simulated”

The Status: Planning

The Story:

“Mason’s Cove. My new home. A town shrouded in rumor and mystery. My family founded this town, but something drove my father away. As soon as he was old enough, he traveled the world, went to university, and refused ever to return. I’ve always wondered about what happened in this small town. So now I’ve returned as an outsider. This is my story.”

The Concept:

This idea came to me while my kids were watching a show on YouTube that has generally been referred to as “brain rot.” The kids' version of YouTube is full of these kinds of shows: very low-effort recordings of someone’s Roblox gameplay with AI-generated voices and a storyline that has no story at all. They’re shows designed to capture the attention of a child and milk the views for everything they get. 

This got me thinking about what was possible if someone put effort into this kind of show. So here’s my pitch. I will use my copy of “The Sims 3” as the project's base. I’ve designed and spiked an entire town with unique characters, all with very detailed backstories. My main character will arrive in town and have to create a life for himself in this town while solving a very complex mystery. I’ve written one major plotline and several side stories in addition to each town character's stories. 

Next is the gameplay. Most of these brain rot shows will show gameplay, beginning to end, entirely uncut—no effort given at all. I plan to approach the game as I would with an actual TV show. I’ll record the screen, position my characters, position my camera to capture the best angle of the shot, and ACTION! I’ll create every clip I need for the story within the game, just as if it were a professional movie set. I will then take all that footage and professionally edit it into 5-10 minute episodes.

But I’m not done yet. AI is doing amazing things these days, and I'm curious to see what would happen if I processed every episode through an AI video converter that takes game footage and gives it a realistic look. How realistic can I get the Sims to look? It’s just as much an experiment for me as it sounds interesting to you.

Once I have all the visuals where I want them, it’s time for some serious sound engineering. Real voice actors provide the dialogue. Sound effects, music, and even special effects are added where needed. 

By the end of the process, I should have a YouTube web series that is closer to a primetime drama than kids' brain rot. I’ll consider this show a personal challenge to see if I can take a genre of video that’s generally looked down upon and create something worthy of watching.

What does the project need?

  • Funding: Along with every other Majestic Media Project, your funding is the primary resource that gives us the freedom to create. 

  • Not much else. This project is a personal challenge I’ve set for myself. It is something I could work on with my kids if they want to help. It helps me expand my skills and gives me the opportunity to explore and experiment with various new techniques.

Curator Benefits:

My Sim town is comprised of approximately 300 characters who reside in the town. About 50 are custom characters that participate in the plot lines I’ve written. The other townie characters go by their generic, game-provided names. What if my curators have the opportunity to place themselves inside the show? Would you like to see yourself walking around this town in the background as one of the townies?

Provide me with a name and photos (Face and body shots), and I could create a Sim who looks just like you to appear in the show. This will be a one-time perk that expires once the project receives the green light. Once a character is named and the show starts up, I won't be able to change the names mid-show. So if you want this honor, you must reserve your townie early. I’ll offer 100 townie spots, and they're available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Disclaimer: I’d like to remind you that it IS the Sims. So once your character is created, what happens afterward is more or less out of my hands. Whatever weird stuff the game has your character doing in the background of a scene, I have no control over. Your character may do something embarrassing. Your character may somehow become involved in the plot. If my character takes a liking to you, you might see your character out on a date or something. There are several mystery plots mixed in with my storylines. Depending on where your character happens to be at the time, they might end up a victim in some plot. Maybe your character dies trying to cook something, or drowning in a pool. If you are a player of the Sims, you know the weird stuff that might happen. So if you agree to offer your name and likeness to the show, you understand that stuff may and will happen, and it will only happen because the game decides to place your character in the wrong place at the wrong time. What happens to your sim has no connection to how I feel about you.