A picture depicting a skateboarder grinding on a table.
Skateboarding is the act of riding and performing tricks using a skateboard. A person who skateboards is most often referred to a skateboarder, skater or skate rat.
Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an artform, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report by American Sports Data found that there were 18.5 million skateboarders in the world. 85 percent of skateboarders polled who had used a board in the last year were under the age of 18, and 74 percent were male.
Skateboarding is relatively modern. A key skateboarding maneuver, the ollie, was developed in the late 1970s by Alan Gelfand as a half-pipe maneuver. Freestyle skateboarder Rodney Mullen was the first to take it to flat ground and later invented the kickflip and its variations.
Skateboarding in video games[]
The overall popularity of skateboarding led to an expected presence in video game industry.
| Title | Year | Franchise | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 720° | 1986 | 720° | Atari |
| Awesome Earl in SkateRock | 1986 | Atari | |
| Skate or Die | 1987 | Skate or Die | EA |
| Skate Boardin’ | 1987 | Skate Boardin’ | Activision |
| Super Skateboardin' | 1988 | Skate Boardin’ | Activision |
| Skate or Die 2: The Search for Double Trouble | 1990 | Skate or Die | EA |
| Top Skater | 1997 | Top Skater | Sega |
| Thrasher Presents Skate and Destroy | 1999 | Skate and Destroy | Rockstar |
| Street Sk8er | 1998 | Street Sk8er | EA |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater | 1999 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | 2000 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Grind Session | 2000 | Grind Session | Sony |
| Street Sk8er 2 | 2000 | Street Sk8er | EA |
| MTV Sports: Skateboarding | 2000 | THQ | |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | 2001 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Yanya Caballista: City Skater | 2001 | Koei Tecmo | |
| ESPN X Games Skateboarding | 2001 | Konami | |
| Air Trix | 2001 | Top Skater | Sega |
| Disney's Extremely Goofy Skateboarding | 2001 | Disney | |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 | 2002 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Disney Sports Skateboarding | 2002 | Konami | |
| Evolution Skateboarding | 2002 | Konami | |
| The Simpsons Skateboarding | 2002 | EA | |
| Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure | 2003 | Activision | |
| Tony Hawk's Underground | 2003 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Go! Go! Hypergrind | 2003 | Atlus | |
| Tony Hawk's Underground 2 | 2004 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Ollie King | 2004 | Sega | |
| Tony Hawk's American Wasteland | 2005 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Tony Hawk's Project 8 | 2006 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam | 2006 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Tony Hawk's Proving Ground | 2007 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Skate | 2007 | Skate | EA |
| Skate Attack | 2007 | Midas | |
| Skate It | 2008 | Skate | EA |
| Skate 2 | 2009 | Skate | EA |
| Tony Hawk: Ride | 2009 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Skate 3 | 2010 | Skate | EA |
| Tony Hawk: Shred | 2010 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Shaun White Skateboarding | 2010 | Shaun White | Ubisoft |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD | 2012 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| OlliOlli | 2014 | OlliOlli | Devolver Digital |
| OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood | 2015 | OlliOlli | Devolver Digital |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 | 2015 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| Session | 2019 | Session | Crea-ture Studios |
| Skater XL | 2020 | Skater XL | Easy Day Studios |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 | 2020 | Tony Hawk's | Activision |
| SkateBird | 2021 |