Gaming
Games
EA, where is Skate 4?!
When do we get to feel like a pro skaters again EA?!
EA, the only miracle workers to let us all be sporting gods. On the football pitch, once ‘This is Football’ wasn’t cutting it anymore, they gave us shooting boots to rival Ronaldo in the shape of Fifa. On the slopes, through SSX, they made us shred like Kristofer Turdell. When it came to the streets they gave us the natural successor to the Tony Hawk games, Skate.
SSX
© EA
The freedom to skate either some of the most insane parks you can imagine, or the bustling streets of San Vanelona meant you could really show your style. This freedom to express your love for the sport in any way you saw fit was really the reason that we loved the game so much. Not all of us were much good at skating, and by much good I mean if we tried we had more chance of splitting our skull than shredding a rail. Most of us have tried and many can perform casually, but despite having fun at an indoor skate park with our friends, we can’t say we are any good.
That is where these games come in so clutch though, they can turn anyone no matter their athletic ability into a sporting superstar. More importantly, they create lifetime fans of the sports. Some didn’t know much about skating when they started playing the games. Many still don’t particularly. They’re not going to be able to list you the names of every trick somebody pulls off, or each pro rider in the scene. They do however appreciate the beauty of the sport and the talent it takes to achieve the things the athletes do.
FIFA
© EA
This appreciation lead to us taking in content around the sports such as watching X-Games from the past and present. In the wider scope it got people watching YouTube channels like Braille Skateboarding or the Red Bull Athlete Sebastian Keep with one being a skateboarding channel and the other BMX. This gets people not only into the single sport but a varying range of extreme sports.
Other games such as SSX gave the people an interest in Snowboarding or MX Unleashed (from THQ not EA) doing the same for Motocross. Whether the games make you a hardcore fan or just give you a cursory interest, they are creating fans. Fans are the pillars upon which entire sports stand, allowing content creators to deliver them entertainment and talented athletes to chase their high flying dreams.
Skate!
© EA
This all sounds like it benefits the ecosystem of the sports as a whole but “how does it help us?” is what I assume EA would be asking at this point. Well there are fans around the globe who are searching for that outlet. We can’t all re-create what the stars can, and even those who can still benefit from doing so in a digital space. Footballers still play Fifa and they use that marketing tool to their advantage greatly. So why can’t they do the same with games such as Skate.
There are calls for this game to come back, and with the surge in popularity of streamers and YouTubers I can only assume that it would make its return as a huge success. My Twitter feed was full of calls and hope for it to be announced at the latest E3, yet it was not to be.
