Reflecting on Skateboarding and Video Games

Elissa Steamer has vivid memories of skateboard video games before the year 1999. As a child, she wasn’t much into them; she preferred playing titles like Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! or The Legend of Zelda when she played hooky. Still, there were games like 720 in arcades and on the original Nintendo, and Town & Country Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage on the NES that mixed surfing with skating. Oh, and then there was Skate or Die!—all with that classic 8-bit charm.

Steamer recalls that, back then, “No one felt like a skateboarder. It was the early ’80s.” However, she began to hear about a new wave in the late ’90s, particularly games inspired by Tony Hawk. By that time, she was establishing herself as a professional skateboarder, collaborating with brands like Toy Machine and Baker, and appearing in popular skate videos of the era.

One day, while visiting fellow skater Jamie Thomas, she stumbled upon a demo of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater from 1999. She gave it a whirl on Thomas’ PlayStation and was blown away by its graphics and feel. Thomas said to her, “I think they’ll reach out to you too.” Sure enough, a few days later, Steamer made a call to the game developers at Activision and Newsoft, suggesting that she join the game. Having already played it, she was quick to sign on, becoming the first woman ever featured in a Tony Hawk video game.

Fast forward 26 years, and the influence of that game is palpable. Many from the skateboarding community—and beyond—believe it brought the sport into popular culture and made it accessible to a wider audience. Books have been written, documentaries filmed, and thoughtful essays published in outlets like the New York Times. Game Informer even named it one of the 100 greatest video games of all time. From kids to adults, people were drawn to skateboarding through the game’s aesthetic and culture. They fell in love with it.

Steamer recently shared with SB Nation, “Skateboarding was pretty niche back then, and I think it really helped bring it into the mainstream. We didn’t have to actually skateboard to appreciate it. The game presented skateboarding in such a cool way, allowing us to connect to our names and identities.”

She added, “I believe the skateboarding boom of the early 2000s was largely fueled by this video game.”

Since its debut in 1999, the Tony Hawk series has expanded with 20 sequels and spin-offs. The most recent, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, was released on July 11. This remake of the classics features modern updates, new tricks, fresh music, and online play, appealing to both nostalgia and new players.

The casting landscape has also evolved. The era when Steamer was the sole playable woman in the game is a thing of the past. The latest title features eight female skaters, including Leo Baker, who identifies as transgender and uses they/them pronouns.

Steamer, who recently celebrated her 50th birthday, believes that including women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals in the game broadens skateboarding’s reach. “Seeing someone who resembles you doing what you aspire to do is empowering,” she noted. “This has been incredibly beneficial for women, transgender, and queer individuals. The game’s inclusive nature reflects the vibrant community of skateboarding, where norms don’t really exist.”

Nora Vasconcellos was just seven when the first Tony Hawk game hit stores. Growing up in New England, she was somewhat isolated from skate culture. Yet, her interest in skating burned brightly, fueled by books and magazines from the library.

Then came THP, and she found herself playing at her cousin’s house and in her brother’s room as much as she could.

“I absorbed everything—from the music to learning about Elissa Steamer and the skating world—through those video games,” Vasconcellos, now 33, told SB Nation. “It became a pathway for me to engage with skating.”

One level in THPS 3 is called “Skater’s Island,” based on a real skate park in Rhode Island that was destroyed in 2004. Vasconcellos lived nearby but never skated there; she experienced it virtually instead.

“It’s funny how something so embedded in your mind can come from a game,” she reflected. “I remember hearing how amazing it was, and my introduction to it was through video games.”

Having played as Steamer in earlier titles, Vasconcellos went on to shine as a professional skater, winning a gold medal at the 2017 Vans Park Series World Championships and signing with Adidas. A skateboard of hers is even in the Smithsonian, yet she feels that being part of the Tony Hawk game carries more social significance than many accomplishments in her career.

“People in different areas of my life might not understand what it means to have a Thrasher cover or get pro shoes, but everyone knows what it means to be a playable character in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,” she explained.

Both Steamer and Vasconcellos are among the eight female skaters highlighted in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. Others include Lizzie Armanto, Leticia Bufoni, Chloe Kim, Marisa Dal Santo, Reisa Rial, and Aori Nishimura.

Vasconcellos believes that without Steamer paving the way back in 1999, her own participation in the series might not have been possible. “There weren’t many women making careers in skateboarding back then. It’s neat to see how that has evolved. If you were a woman, you often got sidelined. It’s true that not every one of us could buy a house from a Tony Hawk game, but it offered a way for skaters to create wealth and identity.”

Skateboarding’s prominence is undeniable now, with Tony Hawk’s games playing a central role in that shift. The sport will also be featured in the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 for the third time.

As she reminisced about her journey, Steamer, the first woman to go professional in skateboarding and a Hall of Fame inductee, reflects on how far the sport has come. “I really believe the future of skateboarding is bright,” she said. “It’s exciting to see the game back and thriving. Tony Hawk is genuinely remarkable.”