Someone Thought Tony Hawk's Parents Named Him After the Game

As part of a Q&A today, legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk answered questions about his technology interests. A number of questions about his gaming franchise came up, including one that asked how he felt about the fact that some people may only know Tony Hawk as the "guy from the skateboard game."

He said he is "hugely proud" of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series, so it's fine if people only know him from the games. The question-asker said the same could maybe be said for EA's Madden football series, with people not knowing who John Madden is but still enjoying the product. It's already the case that some younger fans don't know Hawk as an actual skateboarder, Hawk said, sharing a story to make his case.

"One time a mom introduced me to her young son and he said, 'Why did his parents name him after a video game?' True story," Hawk said as part of Gizmodo's Q&A.

Hawk was also asked if there could be a Tony Hawk virtual reality skateboarding game someday. He said he's intrigued by the idea, but is worried that it could make you throw up.

"Creating an immersive skating experience can be very nauseating for the casual gamer," he explained. "I'm open to ideas though."

Additionally, Hawk revealed that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is his favorite in the series. "Because it set us up as a franchise, and had many iconic maps / skaters / songs that people still talk about," he said. "I was partial to N64 at the time though."

Also during the Q&A, someone asked if Tony Hawk's Underground 3 would ever happen. "That would be a question for Activision at this point," he replied.

The newest Tony Hawk game is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5, which came out in 2015 to a cold critical reception. No new entries in the series have been announced and it remains to be seen if Activision still holds the rights to the series.

Hawk is now 48 years old. One of his most famous skateboarding achievements was landing the first 900 in competition at the X-Games in 1999. Earlier this year, he nailed the trick again for what might be the last time ever.