https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhxSXMlCr2w&ab_channel=armin38822Tony Hawk games changed my life. I'm a Bosnian who was born in a refugee camp and I stayed there untill I was 4-5 years old. One of the sole memories I have from that place is an older kid on a skateboard. I still remember who he was and how he had a damn skateboard in a refugee camp. But I didn't know much about it. I had no idea you can do tricks,but that sound of bearings turning around and him riding around was cemented into my child memory.
Eventually we moved out and I forgot about skateboarding. That is untill year 2000 when I was 7 years old. My neighbour was walking by my house and invited me to join him since he was going to pick up a new game. I asked him,what kind of a game ? He said a skateboaridg game ! I asked him back : what's a skateboard ? I literarly didn't know what's it called.
Anway,we walked to some kids house ,got the game and went back to my house to play it. He installed it and when I saw that intro my brain exploded. It was the single coolest thing I ever saw in my life. These skaters were my super heros. Chad Muska was my Spider-man. Rodney Mullen was my Hulk. Jamie Thomas was my Superman. These real life chracters were everything to me. All the way up to Tony Hawk American Wasteland I was obsessin over these games. Pushing combos,fingind new lines,speed-running trough levels...anything to keep the games fresh.
But the games,and most importantly that intro from THPS2 made me fall in love with actual skateboarding. As I grew older I didn't play video games as much but I continued skating and I still skate to this day. Is the biggest passion I have. A skate video part is the greatest artistic expression I can think off. I have a deep love for it. And that's what I was trying to do with this edit. I wanted to make a ''real-life'' video part on a Tony Hawk game.
Once I came back to this game I used it more as a meditation. I sometimes struggle with anxiety and I've used THPS games for years now to calm down. I put on a good podcast and while I listen I kinda lose myself in this type of way of playing the game. .
Anyway,I'm ranting...
Hope you enjoy the edit.