1 A SKATER'S DREAM A two minute timer begins to count down as you push off on your skateboard You break sail down a ramp in a huge empty warehouse You have two minutes to earn as many points as possible by doing tricks You are living the skater's dream in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater THPS Before THPS hit the market in 1999 the sport of skateboarding was in trouble In the early 1990s many skateboard companies closed due to a worldwide recession And skaters were often seen as troublemakers They skated in streets and other public places disrupting car and foot traffic This left pro skaters with uncertain futures They didn't know if they could make a living skating Two important events changed this outlook One was the first X Games in 1995. This televised competition helped bring extreme sports like skateboarding to a mainstream audience 4
THPS showcases amazing skate tricks Tony Hawk has said some of the in game tricks are too dangerous or impossible to attempt in real life Another major event was the debut of THPS It became one of the world's most influential video game franchises Because of THPS millions of gamers became interested in skateboarding and skate culture
2 TONY HAWK In the late 1990s Hawk had been a pro skateboarder for about 17 years He wanted to collaborate on a skateboarding game He approached video game makers with his idea But he wasn't having much luck Then in 1998 video game publisher Activision approached Hawk Activision was working with video game developer Neversoft to create a skateboarding title They invited Hawk to try out an early version of the game in hopes he would partner with Neversoft Playing the demo Hawk liked that the game allowed players to roam freely He knew this was the partnership for him The game would have Hawk's name guidance and a character with his likeness Hawk's game wasn't the SKATER BOY first of its kind Video games Hawk was nine years old when he first rode a skateboard 720 Degrees and Skate or Die He turned pro in 1982 when he was just 14 years old had come out in the 1980s
Hawk had a 17 year professional skateboarding career During this time he won more than 70 skateboarding competitions
