Popular Twitch streamer Jerma985 is attracting widespread attention over a stream filled with absurdist comedy set in a Sims-like context. The "Dollhouse" stream is essentially a highly experimental, real-life version of Twitch Plays.
The Dollhouse system lets viewers directly interact with the Twitch stream by voting on various actions to take and items to purchase. After receiving the information, Jerma then takes the action voted on by the chat, often with humorous results.
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The stream has notably high production value and it is obvious a lot of effort was put in. Various cameras strategically positioned around the set give a view very similar to traditional sitcoms during acting sequences and a general overview during the voting. The set appears well-constructed, going so far as to represent two rooms of a house as well as a front yard, and the stream plugins add an actual UI for voting so viewers can keep watching while deciding Jerma's fate. Jerma, of course, is often frustrated with the audience as the viewers tend to choose humorous options over the well-being of Jerma's character and often leave him sleep-deprived. Of course, Jerma is only playing a character, so voters need not worry.
The level of freedom allowed by the stream's plugins is impressive, with viewers able to vote on a wide variety of The Sims-inspired actions Jerma should take next, such as making a sandwich or sleeping. Yesterday viewers bought Jerma a popcorn machine, but it had no popcorn so it went unused. There are also several other characters in the stream, with two clowns that trespass on Jerma's property being a highlight of yesterday's. The stream is supposedly planned to get even more absurd as it goes on, and today's is only the second part of three.
A wide variety of unusual interactive content has been hosted on Twitch in the past, including the infamous Twitch Plays Pokemon and similar streams where the chat controls actions in a game. Real-life Sims, however, is certainly a new take on interactivity, and Jerma's stream is backed with high production value including other characters and a large house setup with missing walls so the cameras have a better view of the situation inside. The level of interactivity is bringing out quite a bit of humorous cruelty from the chat, with viewers collaborating (and failing) to have an entire couch placed on top of Jerma during a sleep phase.
Of course, such a high-quality stream has a sponsor to fund it, with this one being presented by Coinbase, a cryptocurrency commerce service. The stream being sponsored by Coinbase may put some off with the recent cryptocurrency boom and its adverse effects, but in isolation, the stream's concept remains highly entertaining and opens the possibility of other big streamers holding similar events in the future.
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