A new video game makes Toronto road rage fun

If you’re among the 81 per cent of Ontario drivers who have witnessed road rage—or, worse, one of the six per cent who admit to engaging in it—a new Toronto-centric video game may be therapeutic.

Grand Theft Toronto was created by Robert Ciborowski, who studied computer science at the University of Toronto and now works in software development. Unveiled in a Reddit post this week, the game involves driving around the city, dodging recklessly operated vehicles and trying to avoid being carjacked, all while delivering food to customers in a hurry. Players get to choose their vehicles—we can attest that it’s a lot of fun to play in a food truck, but that won’t save you from fender benders with the cheekily named Roncesvalles Rover.

Related: Mayor Olivia Chow says video games are cool, actually

In addition to its undertone of carjacking awareness, the game also pays homage to a cast of Toronto characters, including Drake, Mayor Olivia Chow, “Cashman” Russell Oliver and a menacing-looking raccoon. “I didn’t want to mock anybody,” says Ciborowski, explaining that the game is meant to be appreciative of Toronto lore. “I just wanted to add the most famous people and have a quick laugh.”

Thanks to the endless woes surrounding transportation in Toronto, the game seems to have caught on, with Reddit users making suggestions for other familiar hurdles Ciborowski might add. “Random road closures for parades or construction, and always make the Gardiner closed,” said one. Ciborowski says incorporating Gardiner traffic is on his list.

“It’s really resonated with people who’ve grown up in the city,” says Ciborowski, who is from Etobicoke. “They’ve found it very funny. And people from other places get to learn about Toronto culture and understand our memes.”

Ciborowski began learning to code around age 10 and long dreamed of designing his own video games. The Grand Theft Toronto prototype took him two weeks to make, an admittedly short time for a project like this. That was partly thanks to a tool he co-created with two friends, Maeesha Biswas and Peter Won, called Chatforce, meant to democratize game creation by removing technological barriers.

“We want anyone with a game idea to be able to build and share it, even if they don’t have the skills to write code, draw polished art or compose music,” Ciborowski says. “Our goal is to turn people’s imaginations into shared experiences through accessible game development.” The team hopes to make Chatforce publicly available next month.

As Ciborowski toils with the Grand Theft Toronto prototype, his focus is on expanding locations players can drive to. Soon, he’ll add his favourite samosa spot, Poondi Bread Bakery in Scarborough.

Related: This stretch of Gardiner construction is about to finish early