Skateboarding has been around for decades and something that is particularly of appeal to a younger crowd. Certainly back in the 1970s it was something that was new to the world and a certain generation would be fascinated by these portable boards with wheels that could be seen in many a neighbourhood, with people learning to coordinate their balance whilst getting to grips with the surroundings they inhabited.
As with a lot of generational youth fascinations, skateboarding did suffer a major dip in form as time went on – and it took the stardom of a particular individual to not only bring it back, but bring it out of the streets and into the homes of many video game owners.
The brand-new documentary PRETENDING I’M A SUPERMAN – THE TONY HAWK VIDEO GAME STORY attempts to reassess and rediscover the essence of why the fusion of extreme sports with the computer and internet generation became one of the biggest stories in the interactive computer world. Skateboard legend Tony Hawk leads a group of key innovators in a series of interviews, in which he talks about his own journey in both reality and virtuality.
Like some fads, the documentary talks about how the skill of vert skateboarding took a back seat when the truly talented of the practice began to take their boards out on the streets, using whatever they could use as a point of reference and skating area to demonstrate their wares, leading to a mid-1990s instigation of an extreme sports contest where audiences would gather to see some of the crème de la crème do their best work.
Inevitably, the development of home video game consoles created a lightbulb moment for the sake of commerce, despite some resistance from top executives and the ‘boarders’ own frustration in what was trying to be created on a computer programme was understandably. However, it took the likes of Activision to create something that was viable and saleable for the Playstation and Nintendo generation of gamers, which led in turn to the TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER series of games.
Now, it must be said that this documentary will primarily have appeal to the fans of both the video game and the sport, whereas others coming in at a more neutral stance will find it a sideline viewing and perhaps seek it out of curiosity to gain a greater understanding of what skateboarding is all about. Even so, true skateboarders will probably watch it and then want to get their boards out and head out onto the street at the first available opportunity.
One for skateboard purists and Tony Hawk fans only.
