22RS Game Design – 10 Years in the Making

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Garth was playing Stunt Car Racer (not to be confused with the similar-looking game Stunts) on the Amiga 500. It was a 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 drawbridges. Stunt Car Racer became a key inspiration for 22 Racing Series.

“As a young kid,” Garth said, “I spent a lot of my gaming time racing with cars and 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. I felt like we should be taking more advantage of the creative freedom that video games give you to immerse people into a fun and unique experience that you can’t in the real world.”

These thoughts stayed with him throughout his game development career. When the idea for 22 Racing Series came up over two decades ago – and then again a decade later, when the opportunity to build it finally arrived ­– he was determined to shake up the genre and make the changes he’d envisioned since he was a kid.

“With 22 Racing Series, you can drive vehicles at above Mach 1 (1,234 km+ 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 that you could only dream about before. It’s a great mixture of accessibility but with a long tail of skill you can master – and I’m still mastering.”

He also points 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. The game really evolved and expanded as a result of this collaboration.