The X Games is a commercial

Commercial broadcasting

Commercial broadcasting is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship...

 annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

.

The Winter X Games are held in January or February (usually in January) and the Summer X Games are usually held in August, both in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Participants compete to win bronze, silver, and gold medals, and prize money.