The gaming industry is a heaving monster these days. Twenty years ago it was just you and one or two equally socially maladjusted friends who were passionate about gaming, now even your mom is banging on about her imaginary farm and your uncle's angry birds. Let's face it, this beloved hobby is not the underground dark pleasure it used to be. But, unlike film and music, the people who have shaped this most enthralling entertainment medium are not in-your-face celebrities plastered on magazine covers and billboards across the world. The history of video gaming has been carved by an army of brilliant minds and creative geniuses who've spun their craft in near anonymity for decades. With the explosion of gaming into the everyday lives of everyday people, and with the gaming industry now pulling in the volumes of cash that would make a Saudi prince blush, the shroud over the people behind the games has begun to lift. The growth of the internet has played its part - gamers follow the development of upcoming releases with rabid fascination, gawping over every preview, every developer interview, every leaked screenshot. And so the people who create, publish, market and push these games are no longer shadows but revered figures within their field. Among the thousands of people operating within the industry right now, a handful have risen above the ranks and can be heralded as the movers and shakers who forge new ideas, shift mindsets, even raise eyebrows. These are the characters who innovate, the suits with the power to bankroll innovation on such a large scale that they alter the gaming landscape, or the outspoken types who put the spotlight on the industry through their actions. It's not easy to set aside only ten people who deserve to be on this list, but no one can deny that everyone featured here has earned their place.
Game-obsessed since the moment I could twiddle both thumbs independently. Equally enthralled by all the genres of music that your parents warned you about.
