In the whole history of gaming, we've come across a whole plethora of characters and video game icons. From loyal sidekicks to evil lords, item shop vendors to sky pirates, talking flowers to gun-wielding femme fatales; the range of all these characters great and small have an impact on our game, and essentially, even our lives.

Miyamoto's body of work is remarkable because he has always remained focused on what actually matters in a game: the player's experience. Other designers may obsess about testing the limits of the hardware; Miyamoto specializes in testing the limits of imagination. His insistence upon simplicity and his appeal to our inner child recognize that play is an important part of being human.