Twitch Viewers Control Streamer’s Life, Sims Style

Twitch Viewers Control Streamer’s Life, Sims Style

Twitch’s Jerma has elevated stunt streams and practical jokes into high internet art, and his latest project is shaping up to be one of his wildest yet. Yesterday, the popular streamer performed a real-life version of The Sims with viewers controlling his every move. The nearly-three hour stream hit all the high points of a traditional Sims game, from denying Jerma rest to locking him out of the house, and even watching him take a bath. But by his own admission this “tutorial” stream was only the beginning.

Viewers were initially introduced to the high-concept stream in a pre-recorded wardrobe segment imitating the Create-a-Sim screen, that saw Jerma cycle through various outfits and prop accessories. The Twitch chat was then able to vote at various intervals for what they wanted their Jerma “Sim” to begin his day wearing. The live-action that followed took place in the “Dollhouse,” a blackbox-looking theatre complete with a set consisting of two-room house and frontyard. Chat participants voted on actions as meters displayed in the bottom left corner of the stream, indicating Jerma’s needs and energy level.

“Take care of me,” the streamer said early on, in his first remark addressing the chat. “Don’t fuck around. You’ve got three streams to do this. Good luck.”

And so of course the chat immediately started fucking around.

The stream at one point had Jerma go jogging, and then initially denied him a bath when his hygiene metre bottomed out. Later they ordered a mattress to the house that was promptly delivered on top of him (in addition to controlling his actions the chat can purchase various Sims-themed upgrades and items). Toward the end Jerma got shut out of the house with a bed frame blocking the front door. He eventually did get that bath though, complete with pixelated blurring just like in the actual Sims. And also clowns kept showing up. Lots and lots of clowns.

His bladder was often full and his stomach empty but at least his fun metre was through the roof. Except for that one time he died.

Screenshot: Twitch / Jerma
Screenshot: Twitch / Jerma

Jerma has streamed everything from Dark Souls boss fights to the unearthing of fake Pokémon knock-off card games, but his latest bit builds off the now established tradition of Twitch Plays and his own past Sims antics. Yesterday’s stream helped teach his audience the basic rules and initial limits of the concept. Jerma is a helpless Sim who can’t think or problem solve for himself and apparently lives off peanut butter sandwiches. But in future streams he’s promised to expand the scope of the gag and push the boundaries of its ridiculousness.

“Seems you have chosen to upgrade the house and what does that mean? That means that that is the end of the tutorial,” Jerma told viewers at the end of the stream. “In two days that is where the real game starts. We have two more streams of this and it’s going to get even more wild, we’re literally going to dial it higher and higher every day.”

Who knows. By next week he could have roped an entire Sims family into his latest experiment.


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