Accelerating Suburban Thrills: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and the Cultural Affinity of Skateboarding
Additional Piece:
Skateboarding has always had a unique ability to capture the imagination of those growing up in the suburbs. For many, it represents the promise of excitement and adventure, transforming the mundane landscapes of commuter belts into vibrant playgrounds. This connection between suburban life and the rebellious spirit of American skate culture is beautifully explored in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (THPS) video game series.
Growing up in the suburbs of Dublin, the author reveals their instinctive kinship with American skate culture. The skaters in the game, emerging from their own boring commuter belts, resonated with the author’s own experience. They had worked together to turn their cities and towns into playgrounds, just as the author yearned to do. The clothes, the language, and the music of skate culture all permeated the game, creating a sense of familiarity and belonging for the author.
One of the most intriguing aspects of THPS and its sequels is the way they romanticize the suburbs. Within the confines of the digital playground, the game carries the promise that even the most mundane suburban areas can be exciting and full of potential. The cheap building materials and functional architecture that often make suburbs feel unremarkable also enable a kind of cultural affinity. From beige siding to concrete stairs, polished chrome railings to rickety plywood ramps, the game blurs the boundaries between real-life locations like Ventura, California, and the author’s own nondescript Leopardstown in Ireland.
Playing THPS for an extended period of time can result in a shift in perspective on reality. The brain starts to instinctively look for good rails to grind on, imagining slick transitions and thrilling maneuvers, even though the likelihood of actually executing them is slim. Instead of dismissing the less-loved corners of the author’s hometown, the game made them appreciate the industrial estate, the underground car park, and the no man’s land under bridges or next to train stations. Just like the virtual world of video games, the physical world is also full of secret areas waiting to be explored.
In 2020, Vicarious Visions released a remastered version of the first two Tony Hawk games. This remastered edition brought stylish new lighting, textures, and physics to the original games. Surprisingly, even after contracting Covid and being confined to their apartment, the author found solace and excitement in skateboarding virtually for six days straight. They were able to smoothly slide around the iconic Venice Ledge, find collectibles, and earn gold in Marseille once again.
The remake of THPS is more than just a visual upgrade; it evokes a nostalgia that goes beyond the game itself. Instead of replicating how the games were, the developers recreated how the author remembers them. The wobbly polygons from the 90s are replaced with a vivid and detailed Southern California, complete with golden patios on the beach, intricate graffiti, and evocative western architecture. The game taps into the author’s hazy memories, creating a sense of familiarity and connection.
Summary:
Growing up in the suburbs of Dublin, the author felt a strong connection to American skate culture, as depicted in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game series. Skaters in the game had emerged from their own boring suburban areas and transformed them into vibrant playgrounds. The game showcased the clothes, language, and music of skate culture, evoking a sense of kinship for the author. THPS and its sequels also highlighted the potential for excitement in mundane suburban settings, blurring the boundaries between real-life locations.
Playing THPS has a profound impact on the author’s perspective on reality, with their brain instinctively searching for opportunities to grind, catch their breath, and execute slick transitions. The game made the author appreciate the less-visited corners of their hometown, recognizing the beauty and potential in industrial estates, underground car parks, and underutilized urban spaces. The recent remastered version of THPS brought new life to the game, creating a visual representation that aligns with the author’s hazy memories of the original games.
Overall, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and its remastered version capture the cultural affinity between suburban life and skateboarding, allowing players to experience the thrill and creativity within their own communities. The game’s ability to spark nostalgia and evoke a sense of belonging reinforces the enduring appeal of skate culture for those who grew up in the suburbs.
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Growing up in the suburbs of Dublin, I felt an instinctive kinship with American skate culture. After all, skaters had emerged from their own boring commuter belts and worked together to turn their cities and towns into playgrounds. The original games showed an obvious love for that culture: the clothes, the language, the music.
Outside the confines of their digital playgrounds, the game and its sequels carried the promise that my suburbs could be exciting, too. The cheap building materials and bland, functional architecture that made certain cities and suburbs feel so similar to each other also allowed for a kind of cultural affinity. Through beige siding, concrete stairs, polished chrome railings, and rickety plywood ramps, Ventura, California, and my own nondescript Leopardstown in Ireland became linked, versions of each other thousands of miles apart.
Play “THPS” long enough and you’ll notice your perspective on reality change. My brain instinctively looks for good rails to grind on, places where I can catch my breath or make a slick transition, even though I’ll most likely never do any of these things. As a child, it made me appreciate the less-loved corners of where I come from: the industrial estate, the underground car park, the no man’s land under a bridge or next to a train station. Video games are full of secret areas, just like our physical world.
In 2020, game developer Vicarious Visions released a remastered version of the first two Tony Hawk games. The creators had updated “THPS” for modern machines, bringing stylish new lighting, textures and physics to the old skeleton. After contracting Covid in April 2022, I holed up alone in my apartment and for six days did nothing but skate virtually. To my surprise, I was still able to smoothly slide around Venice Ledge, find all the collectibles, and earn gold in Marseille.
Paradoxically, the remake seems more faithful to the original games than it really is. Instead of replicating how the games werethe developers recreated how I remember them. It’s like they found my hazy memories of their beautiful cities and toy box skate parks. Watching clips of the Venice Beach level in the original version on YouTube, I saw that the area was completely lit, strangely empty, made of wobbly polygons from the 90s. With the new version, I see the Southern California of my dreams, a golden patio on the beach, all intricate graffiti and evocative western architecture.
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