In this week’s Straight I look at the new SSX from EA Sports.

First, I talk to Steve Rechtschaffner, who created the sport and the first few video games in the franchise:

Before he worked as a producer of video games for Electronic Arts, Steve Rechtschaffner made extreme-sports videos.

I also consider how SSX walks the line between real and hyper-real:

In recent years, EA Sports has been refining and promoting the simulation aspect of its video games, which may have posed a problem for the development team responsible for renewing the once-lucrative snowboarding franchise.