22RS Game Design – The Stuff of Dreams
Garth Midgley on what inspired 22RS: the Amiga classic ‘Stunt Car Racer’, racing you can’t experience in the real world, and an esport that anyone can compete in.
We talk to Garth Midgley about what inspired him to build 22RS.
- Retro racing game ‘Stunt Car Racer’ was the driving inspiration behind the design for 22RS
- Giving people a racing experience they can’t get in the real world remains the central goal
- 22RS aims to give everyone, regardless of their socio-economic background, opportunity and access to participate in elite motorsports through professional esports leagues
Watch the PAX 2020 AMA to get the low-down!
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo3BzA21Ut0
Shaking up the genre
One of the game impetuses for 22 Racing Series was a game called ‘Stunt Car Racer’ (not to be confused with the similar looking game ‘Stunts’) back on the Amiga 500 that Garth was playing in the late 80’s and early 90’s. “It was this super tough and very cool racing game where you could drive on crazy roller coaster style tracks that huge inclines and steep declines, complete with manic jumps and crazy animating drawbridges. It was also one of the first 3D games, and unlike most of the other racing games out at the time, which had an arcadey feel, ‘Stunt Car Racer’ went for more physics realistism.”
“As a young kid I spent a lot of time racing in cars and on tracks you could get in the real world, I couldn’t help but wonder – why do people keep creating games that replicate real-world experiences? I mean, it’s a game, it’s made up, it can be ‘whatever’ and wherever you want it to be! Why aren’t we taking advantage of this creative freedom to build something totally unique that you can’t experience in the real world?”
This thought stayed with him throughout his game development career, so when the idea for 22 came up over two decades ago, and then a decade later, the opportunity to build it finally arrived, he was determined shake up the genre and make the changes he envisioned since he was a kid. “With 22 Racing Series, people can drive vehicles at over a 1,000km per hour on insane tracks, while also using real physics, giving the game an element of realism and familiarity but allowing you to manoeuvre in ways you that you could only dream about. It’s a great mixture of accessible, but with a long tail of skills that you can master – And I’m still mastering!”
An esport racing game that never ends
From the very beginning, Garth’s ambition was to develop the game as an esport, with a business model reflecting those of already established and successful real-life motorsports series … but with some improvements. “I like to refer to 22RS as the ‘F1 of the future’ which has naturally evolved into a virtual and online racing series. Similarly to the F1, and any other elite motorsports series, 22RS is designed to run as an ongoing event over seasons, year-on-year, with no intention of ending. So you buy the game once, and then you can play it for the rest of your life, and maybe even hand your license down to your children.”
Using traditional motorsports as a benchmark, the team at GOATi Entertainment are currently building a host of both in-game and meta-game features and tools to bolster player engagement and maximise game longevity. These include unique team multiplayer modes, in-game branding and sponsorship tools as well as tournaments with seamless and transparent pay-outs, and more.
Increasing accessibility to professional motorsports
If you’re into motorsports, you’ll know that it can take more than raw talent and a love of speed to make it to the top. Even the lower classes of motorsports, the level of financial investment required is such that only a few have the opportunity to give it a shot (ever hear the story of family’s mortgaging their family homes to give their children a chance?), which begs the question: If money wasn’t a barrier, then who would be the true world champion?
This is precisely the concept right at the heart of 22RS, an extremely open competition requiring little to no financial commitment.
“I wanted to do something that was super accessible, something that anyone could play, from wherever they were in the world, and give them the opportunity to be the best in the world. It’s an esport where you’ve got potentially millions of people playing, so when you crown the winner, you know you’re crowning the true champion. Someone that’s competed and fended off every challenger to the title. That’s got to be the best feeling in the world, both for the sport, and for the champion.”