Tony Hawk: The Revolutionary Force Behind Gaming’s Skateboarding Revolution

Ralph D’Amato joined Neversoft in 1998, where he served as a producer for the first eight Tony Hawk video games. Two decades later, he directed a documentary focused on that experience.

Pretending I’m a Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story chronicles the collaboration between Neversoft, Activision, and Tony Hawk that led to the rise of a gaming phenomenon in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Thanks to D’Amato’s insider perspective and Ludvig Gür’s direction, the film offers an in-depth look at the origins of the series, which is available to stream for free on Tubi.

In an effort to highlight books and documentaries related to gaming, Polygon is hosting an email interview series with the creators of these works. Explore the complete list to learn about various projects, including a photography book on classic Japanese arcades and a documentary on Street Fighter 2. Below, D’Amato shares insights on the genesis of Pretending I’m a Superman, the advantages and challenges of his involvement, and his upcoming skateboarding game, Cheapskate.

Polygon: Now that we’re about five years past the film’s release, can you recall how Pretending I’m a Superman came to fruition and why 2020 felt like the right moment to share this story?

Ralph D’Amato: The documentary originated from a chance connection between myself and director Ludvig Gür after I saw one of his YouTube fan videos that covered the entire Tony Hawk Pro Skater series. His detailed take on the games was impressive, especially since he aspired to be a director. As a fan of documentaries, I had watched various gaming docs like King of Kong and Ecstasy of Order, and I believed the story behind THPS deserved to be documented. Once I met Ludvig, everything really took off.

Regarding our release timing, we aimed for the 20th anniversary of THPS in 2020, especially with the THPS 1+2 reboot launching simultaneously. Additionally, skateboarding was set to be included in the Olympics, making our timing even more significant. Unfortunately, COVID hindered many of our plans, including a nationwide theatrical release, but we managed to get through it.