Shigeru Miyamoto

Nintendo

Shigeru Miyamoto

Called the father of modern video games, Miyamoto, 57, continues to affect the industry, decades after he created such popular games as Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda. The head of Nintendo's game design department has brainstormed new ideas for the DS, Wii, and Wii Fit, keeping consoles in today's living rooms and selling millions of new games. While rivals have borrowed ideas from Nintendo, Miyamoto says he stays ahead of the curve by asking executives and his design team, "What can we do that really nobody else can?"