22RS Game Design - 10 Years in the Making

We chat 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 online esports leagues

Watch the PAX 2020 AMA to see the interview.

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 in 3d with basic physics (cutting edge at the time) where you could drive on crazy roller coaster style tracks that had steep inclines, manic jumps and animating drawbridges.”

“As a young kid I spent a lot of my gaming time racing with cars and tracks that 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. I just felt like we should be taking more advantage of the creative freedom that video games gives you to immerse people into a fun and unique experience that you can’t 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 above mach1 (+1,234km 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 accessibility, but with a long tail of skill that you can master – And I’m still mastering.”

“I’d also like to point out that 22 Racing Series is a GOATiE team project. Everyone on the team has had a big say in the design and direction of the project. So it’s really evolved and expanded along the way.”

An esport racing game that never ends

From the very beginning, the 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 blockchain integration and smart contracts for a next level of user content creation, monetisation, 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 a lot more than just raw talent to make it to the top. Even in the lower classes of motorsports, the level of financial investment required is such that only very few people have the opportunity to give it a shot. Did you ever hear the story of families 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, so everyone has the chance of competing if they want to.

“I wanted to do something that was super accessible, something that anyone could play, from anywhere in the world, giving everyone the opportunity to be the best in the world.”

“It’s an esport where you have potentially millions of people playing, so when you crown a 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.”