Age: 45
Occupation: Game designer
In 2007, Levine gave us BioShock, a dystopian game that folded Ayn Rand, psychological egoism and laissez-faire capitalism into a mind-bending first-person shooter. It was a masterpiece that helped spark the "games as art" debate. "When nothing matters but the market, whenever you make anything everything, you have horror," Levine explained at the time. His propensity to elevate the conversation makes the designer one of gaming's luminaries. Expect him to challenge players again with a sequel, Bioshock Infinite, due out this fall.