The latest game to fall foul of complaints from officials is TOCA Race Driver 3 from Codemasters, which is being accused by British organisations such as breakdown company RAC of being irresponsible for the inclusion of a track set on the M25, the orbital motorway that encircles London, and is more often referred to as a car park than a road due to near constant queues and roadworks.

The game features a complete recreation of the M25, with players weaving in and out of traffic in order to complete an entire circuit of 118 miles as quickly as possible. With the high powered cars available in the game, this should take around 42 minutes (traffic permitting of course). The in game circuit has been given a more race game feel with the addition of tyre walls, grandstand seating and a pit lane.

The RAC are concerned that since the game is likely to be played by a large number of teenagers and 20-somethings, the exact same group of people who are likely to have just passed their driving tests, that there will be a spate of copycat drivers trying to emulate the game for real. The M25 is known for having a lot of accidents caused by excessive speed, so they feel it is irresponsible for the road to be depicted in this manner.

This isn’t the first game to include the M25 though. In 1997 Davilex launched a game entitles M25 Racer.

As an aside, if you fancy a more sedate look at the M25 and it’s many junctions then you can try out a simulator on the “Chris’s British Road Directory” website, which includes simulated journeys along many of the UK’s major roads! Bizarre!

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