If you grew up playing skateboard video games, get ready to feel totally and utterly moved: Steve Caballero has released a personal thank you message to anyone who played as him in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater even though playing as Tony Hawk was clearly the better choice.
Wow! Steve Caballero may not be Tony Hawk, but he is a true class act!
Earlier today, veteran skater Steve Caballero posted an Instagram Reel offering a heartfelt thanks to all the people who chose to skate as him in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater when they could’ve just as easily played as the game’s namesake, whose stats were way more optimized compared to all the other characters, and who was the whole reason most players bought the game in the first place. Choking back tears, Caballero expressed a deep gratitude for anyone who picked him over Tony, even if it was only because they thought his name sounded cool, or because they were bored of dominating levels as Tony and just wanted to see if they could beat the game with a skater whose stats weren’t nearly as juiced.
“I know Tony had the perfect balance of speed, air, and tricks, while the game designers made me just kind of okay at everything, but still, you pushed all instinct aside to skate as me, and that means the world,” said Caballero. “Look, I get it. Not even I want to skate as me when I play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Skating as Tony is like fighting as Kirby in Super Smash Bros.—he’s sort of a cheat code, and just about anyone can skate well as him. I’m like the Ness of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. I require an amount of playing experience to master that is just not worth anyone’s time. That’s why it was so special that anyone still chose me, knowing they were probably going to have less fun than if they chose Tony.”
“Hey, maybe you only picked me once just to see what my special moves were, and then sort of regretted it and went right back to playing as Tony,” Caballero continued. “Maybe your older brother had already picked Tony, and you were stuck choosing from all the players only people who were super into skateboarding culture would care about. No matter why you played as me, I see you, and I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart.”
Simply touching.
It just goes to show that choosing the lesser video game character can sometimes make a 60 year-old skateboarder very happy years later! Here’s to you, Mr. Caballero, and here’s to any gamer curious enough to give him a try despite having Tony Hawk as an option!
