As is often the case with technology, gaming has comea very long way in a relatively short amount of time. There are many contributing factors behind this rapid growth, but one of the most significant is the wealth of inventive and influential creators that can be found working throughout the industry.
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Were it not for these talented individuals, the gaming landscape would look very different than it does today. It’s their ideas and hard work that has drivendecades of innovationwhile simultaneously inspiring others to develop more engaging and advanced games. As they continue to mature and grow as creators, so too do the titles that they deliver and, in turn, the very industry itself.
10Shigeru Miyamoto
Following in the footsteps ofgreat men like Gunpei Yokoiand Satoru Iwata would be an incredibly daunting prospect for most, but it’s something that Shigeru Miyamoto has taken in his stride. Under his stewardship, Nintendo continues to go from strength to strength; with the Switchwell on its way to surpassing the Wii as the company’s best selling consoleof all time. There’s much more to Miyamoto than just his leadership skills though, as evidenced by his strong back catalog of games.
The veteran creator has played a pivotal role in the creation of some of Nintendo’s biggest IPs; includingMario,ZeldaandStar Foxto name but a few. As well asselling more than a billion copies between them, these series have consistentlypioneered new ideas and gameplay mechanicsthat have helped toshape the gaming landscapeand inspired countless other creators in the process.
9Tim Schafer
Together with Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer played a hugely important role in the development andpopularization of the point and click genre. They might not be anywhere near as prevalent today as they were during their heyday, but these games provided the foundations upon which many ofthe best modern day adventure gameshave been built. Unlike his former LucasArts colleague, however, Schafer’s influence on the industry has continued well into the 21st century.
When Schafer turned to Kickstarter to crowdfund what would eventually becomeBroken Age, the platform was still very much in its infancy.The project’s overwhelming successtherefor served to highlight the viability of crowdfunding video games; thus paving the way for other developers to secure funding without having to bend to the wills and whims of greedy publishers.
8Yu Suzuki
One developer who definitely benefited from Tim Schafer’s popularization of crowdfunding was Yu Suzuki; whoseShenmue 3campaignbroke numerous Kickstarter recordson the way to being funded. The resulting game was perhapsnot what he’d originally had in mind, but those which preceded it wererevolutionary for their eraandlaid much of the groundwork for what would ultimately become the open world genre. Even beforeShenmuethough, Suzuki was a hugely important figure in the industry.
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He may not be as well known or revered as his Nintendo counterpart, but Suzuki is often referred to as “Sega’s Miyamoto”; and it’s easy to see why. Not only was he responsible for some of the company’s most popular arcade titles of all time, but he also revolutionized the fighting genre with hisgroundbreakingVirtua Fighterseries.
7Gabe Newell
In much the same way thatVirtua Fighterredefined the fighting genre, Valve’sHalf-Lifeseriesushered in a new era for FPS games. Were it not for the company’s co-founder and managing directer Gabe Newell, however, it may never have come to be. Valve didn’t justchange the way that people play their games either, but also how they purchase them.
With more and more people gaining access to the internet and the ever increasing popularity of PC gaming, Valve launched its digital marketplace Steam in 2003. Almost two decades later andthe service has more than 100 million active monthly usersand continues to grow in size with every passing year.
6Hideo Kojima
When it comes to Japanese video game designers, few are as revered or as well known as Hideo Kojima. TheMetal Gearfranchise that he created led the way when it came toinfusing cinematic techniques into video gamesand heavily influenced many ofthe narrative-driven titles of today. It also popularizedthe use of stealth mechanicsas well as using shoulder buttons to cycle through weapons and items rather than having to open up a menu.
Although nowhere near as influential asMetal Gear, Kojima has worked onplenty of other innovative titles over the years; the latest of which isDeath Stranding. It may have been incrediblydivisive among players and critics, but it’s a title thatfurther bridges the gap between video games and movieswhile also implementing some interesting social mechanics.
5Dan Houser
Rockstar Games has been responsible for some incredible IPs since being established by Sam and Dan Houser back in 1998. The biggest of these is undoubtedlyGrand Theft Autothough; a series which the brothers themselves have played an integral role in developing. SinceGrand Theft Auto III, the series hasled the way when it comes to open world gamingandcontinues to push the boundaries with each new entry.
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As well as its flagship franchise, the company is also responsible for games and series likeL.A. Noire,BullyandRed Dead Redemption; which goes to show that it’s more than just a one-trick pony. These games are perhaps equally innovative and, together with the manyGTAgames, havesold more than a quarter of a billion copies.
4Hironobu Sakaguchi
When Hironobu Sakaguchi came up with the idea forFinal Fantasy, he could not have known just how big or revolutionary the series would go on to become. It singlehandedlyredefined the RPGwith its engrossing narratives andintuitive turn-based combat systemand ultimately ushered ina golden era for the genre itself.
Sakaguchi played an integral role in the series' first six games before taking a step back and eventually leaving Square Enix to open his own studio in 2004. Although Mistwalker did find some early success with games likeLost OdysseyandBlue Dragon, it is Sakaguchi’s legacy and thecontinued influence of Final Fantasythat makes him so important to the gaming industry.
3Sid Meier
Sid Meier might just be the Tom Clancy of video games; not just because of his tendency to insert his name into the titles of his work, but also due to the huge influence that he’s had on his chosen genre. To many, theCivilizationseries serves as the gold standard for turn-based strategy games andeach new entry seems to further cement this status.
Although not quite as impressive as Firaxis' flagship series, Meier has worked on a number of simulation and action adventure games during his time in the industry as well; including the likes ofPirates!andRailroad Tycoon. Many have tried to emulate his signature development style over the years, but none have come close to delivering anything anywhere near as impressive.
2Shinji Mikami
Shinji Mikami started working at Capcom in 1990, but it would not be until six years later that he’d be given the chance to make his mark. The young designer was chosen to direct the company’s upcoming horror game,Biohazard; or, as it is known internationally,Resident Evil. The rest, as they say,is history.
Mikami worked on the first fourResident Evilgames as well as some of the series' many spin-offs. These games not only helped to massively boost the popularity of the survival horror genre, but alsointroduced ideas that would go on to shape it for years to come. Since leaving Capcom in 2004, he’s worked on plenty ofother successful IPs likeThe Evil WithinandGod Hand.
1John Carmack
John Romero may have coined the term ‘deathmatch’, but were it not for the blood, sweat and tears of his creative partner John Carmack, there may well have been nothing to name. His finely-tuned programming skills helped to makeDooma terrifying reality and also played a key role in the development of severalother genre defining FPS franchiseslikeWolfensteinandQuake.
In 2013, Carmack left id Software to become the chief technical officer for Oculus VR. Over the course of six years, he contributed towards the successful launch of the company’s VR headset before stepping down in late 2019 in order to devote more time to his ongoing work on artificial intelligence. Whether or not this could one day have an impact on gaming remains to be seen, althoughgiven Carmack’s outstanding track record, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if it did.
