How Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater changed gaming … and skating

Pros from then and now recall a game that sparked a cultural phenomenon and inspired some of the best skaters in history

Skateboarding has always ebbed and flowed in popularity, according to pro skateboarders Rodney Mullen and Chad Muska. We've watched this rollercoaster ride and, each decade, there's usually a huge peak and then a dip," says Muska. But we've not felt the dip for quite a long time now." Since a crash in the early 90s, skateboarding has been enjoying a slow ride to the top. The dudes of the original skateboarding boom, now in their 40s, are now vastly outnumbered in skate parks by teenagers.

In the late 90s and early 00s, rap and hip-hop became integrated with skate culture; skate videos ditched the grungy VHS aesthetic and fish-eye lenses for faster cuts and smoother shots. Fast-forward to 2020 and the kids that grew up with this culture are now paying homage. Jonah Hill's directorial debut, Mid90s, is a coming-of-age film about 90s skateboarding, while Virgil Abloh, the creative director of Louis Vuitton, is now signing pro skateboarders to design shoes for his fashion house.