The TIME 2008 World's 100 Most Influential People

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas*
Such lists are always controversial, but they're harmless diversions.

I'm not sure I agree about Stephen Colbert. Ya think he carries much weight outside the US? Just asking.

However, I do agree about Shigeru Miyamoto. That guy has revolutionized wasting time.

I'll make a couple admissions here. I referred to wasting time because I believe that's what video games are. I've never played one, but seen others obsess over them to the point of avoiding responsibilities, sleep, work, school, family.

My second confession here is that I never in my wildest dreams believed the gaming industry had a chance of surviving when it was just beginning. Boy was I wrong on that!

TIME asked who you thought should be on the list of the 100 most influential people of the year. Over 200 candidates were given a rating of 1 to 100. And your #1 choice? Shigeru Miyamoto! The video game designer had almost 2 million votes, over 300,000 more than runner-up, Rain. After a tight race at the top, Stephen Colbert came in third place with close to 900,000 votes.

* Yeah, I know Grand Theft Auto IV is out; I'm no Luddite, but I liked this graphic.

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