How Did I Get Here

How Did I Get Here by Tony Hawk, Pat Hawk Read Free Book Online Page B

Book: How Did I Get Here by Tony Hawk, Pat Hawk Read Free Book Online
Authors: Tony Hawk, Pat Hawk
sensors. Only after they settled on a board design did Robomodo get to work on the software, which had to be customized for this strange new controller. We decided to name it Tony Hawk: RIDE.
    The announcement of my latest game, Tony Hawk: SHRED , was held in L.A. at Staples Center as part of an Activision mega-proportional debut party.
    Some hardcore gaming critics were pretty brutal when the game debuted in November 2009, writing it off as a failed novelty. Admittedly, there were some software quirks, but user reviews were overwhelmingly positive, especially those from the Wii crowd. We sold more than one million units in the first three months, and we quickly went to work on a sequel that would fix any glitches. The new version, Tony Hawk: SHRED , will also venture into the mountains, where players can pretend they’re snowboarding.
    DEAR TONY,
    I HAVE A LOT OF YOUR GAMES, LIKE TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 3, TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 4, TONY HAWK’S PROVING GROUND, TONY HAWK’S UNDERGROUND, AND TONY HAWK’S UNDERGROUND 2. MY OLDER BROTHER IS THE REAL TONY HAWK FAN. I’M MORE INTERESTED IN INSECTS.
    At the time this book is being written, I’m in the twelfth year of my relationship with Activision. Here’s a shocking stat: They’ve released 79 different versions of my game across the various gaming platforms, including mobile and online adaptations. It’s been an intensely satisfying (and ridiculously lucrative) experience. I obviously hope the marriage will continue for a long, long time.

5
    WHAT THE HELL IS A HUCKJAM?
    Innovation and improvisation on a million-dollar ramp
    From:
    To: [email protected]
    Subject: wut the hell tony?
    i sent u an email like 4 years ago when i wuz in ur fan club wen u were my favorite skateboarder. well thx alot because I went to your huck jam show and asked you a question and you didnt answer me so i gave up skateboarding because i thought u thought i was a poser. If u get back to me on this i would greatly appreciate it.
    Like most pro skaters, I’ve always been frustrated that skateboarding’s mainstream popularity derives primarily from contests, when that’s such a small part of what we do. In fact, most pro skaters shun competition entirely and instead build their reps through video parts and skate-mag coverage. That’s what makes the sport and the subculture so hard for outsiders to package: At its core, it’s about innovation and improvisation. It’s about ignoring rules.
    As proof, let me make a confession. It isn’t exactly a secret, but it seems to be forgotten amid the hype: My most famous competitive feat, when I landed the first-ever 900 during the “best trick” event at the 1999 X Games, shouldn’t have counted. I should give ESPN back its medal. Here’s why: It took me 12 tries to finally stick a 900 that day, and somewhere around my eighth attempt, time ran out—contest over. I didn’t exactly cheat; I just kept climbing back up the ramp after the buzzer sounded, and nobody stopped me.
    I wasn’t thinking about winning. I only wanted to land a trick that had eluded—and hobbled—me for 10 years, and I knew I was closer than I’d ever been to nailing one. The other guys had stopped skating and were cheering me on, and everybody in the venue knew something was up. So the people running the show (God bless ’em) decided to let me keep going. Despite the crowd and the loudspeakers and the TV cameras, it was in its way a lot like one of those skate sessions that happens every day in schoolyards and skateparks around the world: one kid trying to pull a trick he’s never made before, with some friends looking on and giving him high-fives after.
    If it had been almost any other sport, security guards would have bum-rushed me to the parking lot. Can you imagine an Olympic high jumper getting the go-ahead to take a few extra tries at a new world record? Or an ice skater being granted a time extension because she’s close

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