6. Ice-T - First Major Gaming Celebrity To Endorse Xbox Live
About a decade or so ago Xbox Live wasn't the essential friend-making behemoth it is today - sure the service started strong enough, but in an era where we weren't all accustomed to talking to complete strangers over social media as we are now, there were many editorials doing the rounds as to whether it would really take off and just who outside of the games industry really cared. Then Ice-T proudly talked about his love for the service alongside announcing his gamertag for all to watch out for back in 2009 (Lord 187x, if you want to try and take him on). It felt like almost immediately all the people who were keeping their fandom to themselves or sitting on the fence as to how popular the service really was got involved right away. If a guy like Ice-T was having fun blasting faces in Call of Duty or burning rubber in Need for Speed, then everyone should be, and alongside a suitable marketing push from Microsoft - alongside peppering Mr. T with a bevy of goodies, Xbox had its first big-name gaming celebrity.
