Celebrating the 25th birthday of a game series that has had profound influence and effect on my life

THPS1 was the catalyst that set me onto a new social path when I started high school in 1999. THPS2 etched it in stone, and became a campfire for my friends and I to gather around whenever the weather was too bad to skate for real. THPS3 continued it.

To say I wouldn’t be who I am today without these games isn’t hyperbole. THPS introduced me to a counter culture that I hadn’t previously known existed, but immediately felt like I belonged to. I found a healthy form of self expression, a way to step out of my comfort zone and try new things, and met many, many wonderful people who were never competing against me, but always encouraging me to try again and showing me different ways of doing tricks to be more successful.

And even though I never became a great skateboarder, I could still bond with these people over the games. This trajectory change was life-altering for me, and dare I say, possibly even life-saving.

Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of THPS1’s release, and I hope to honor it by playing through each of the original 3 releases on an original PSX (PlayStation 1, for you youngins out there).

Cheers to Tony Hawk, Nevrsoft, Vicarious Visions, Activision and everyone else behind these games. I am living proof that your art and your passion means more than just pixels on a screen and money in the bank.