作者：Craig Chapple和James Batchelor

让我们着眼2014年在游戏产业中最具影响力的个人及话题人物。

2014(from develop-online)

这是游戏领域中又一重要的一年，并且在这一年里又出现了一些杰出人物。

从反对网络恶霸到开发全新类型的游戏并为别人的成功铺平道路，这里有许多值得我们分享的例子。

为了编写这一列表，我们询问了许多游戏产业中的人士关于2014年他们心目中最具影响力的人，同时也包含了一些我们自己的选择。

Anita Sarkeesian

Anita Sarkeesian的视频《Tropes vs Women in Video Games》继续在游戏产业及其用户之间引起了巨大的轰动，他们继续突出了女性在我们所玩的游戏中的描述以及所遭受的待遇。

她的视频和观点使其成为了今年因为破坏产业而遭到反感的主要目标之一。因为种种威胁，Sarkeesian不得不离开自己的家，GDC组织者也表示当年初决定颁予她Ambassador Award时便收到了许多威胁。更糟糕的是，在收到“美国历史上最可怕的校园枪击”威胁后，她被迫取消了在犹他州立大学关于以妇女和性别为中心的演讲活动。

但是尽管面对着所有这些可怕的事件，Sarkeesian仍然继续创造着视频，参加各种演讲并出现在一些主流电视活动中去努力改变女性在游戏中的地位。

Markus ‘Notch’ Persson

作为红遍全球的《我的世界》的幕后策划者，Markus Persson继续见证着2014年创造世界游戏所创造的新成绩。据说在2月份，这款游戏的PC版本共聚集了超过1亿多注册玩家。这一数值甚至多予英国总人口。

在经过几年的成功后，Persson在9月份将Mojang以25亿美元的高价卖给了微软，并以此向世人呈现出了独立游戏工作室在游戏产业中的影响力。

就像Radiant Worlds的Andrew Oliver所说的：“他向我们传达了优秀的创造性理念与社区，并且能够取代所有巨大的发行商与游戏而成为真正的赢家。”

Phil Spencer

Three Fields Entertainment的联合创始人同时也是Criterion前老板的Alex Ward写道：

“你是如何像Xbox One那样解决一个问题？—-你是否想要一份工作？他指导了2014年一些非常优秀的游戏的创造，包括《日落过载》和《极限竞速地平线2》。而这一切都是为了2015年《镇压》的回归做准备。”

在与索尼的PS4相比较时，这对于Xbox One来说可能是较为艰难的时期。但是微软曾经遭遇困境的主机也快速恢复并专注于游戏中，而这一切主要归功于Phil Spencer—-他在3月份成为了Xbox的新老大。

当然了，Xbox One还有很长的一段路要走，但至少与2013年的现在相比，如今的Xbox One的状态真的好多了。

Sean Murray

在Sean Murray的领导下，来自Guildford的小型工作室Hello Games向我们证明了即使不是一家大型工作室也能创造出一款具有野心且备受期待的游戏。

在展示其即将问世的太空探索游戏《No Man’s Sky》的时候，Murray说道，如果玩家在这款游戏中每秒访问一个星球的话，他们便需要花费50亿年才能将其找出来。

在首次公开后的一年，这款游戏仍然能够凭借每一个新的预告片而吸引大量的用户，并且他们也承诺提供给玩家独特的游戏体验。这是一款证明Murray及其团队的远见和野心的游戏，并且也告诉了我们，只要拥有优秀的理念和执行能力，任何人都可能取代大型发行商。

SCEE的Shahid Ahmad说过：“Hello Games的Sean Murry分享了一个小型团队能够创造，并且在游戏开发领域中可能实现的大胆理念，在他们专注于宇宙理念的同时还能够深深影响人们的情感。我所接触过的每位开发者都表示受到了Sean Murry的野心以及《No Man‘s Sky》的理念的影响，我也是如此。”

Lynne Kilpatrick

你可能不知道Lynne Kilpatrick，因为她真的很低调，但是她却是促使英国实行税收减免政策（游戏邦注：这是经过多年努力的结果）的贡献者之一。

效力于文化，媒体和体育部的Kilpatrick是在政府间推广游戏产业，并传达游戏发展对于英国的好处的重要人物，她帮助这个国家再次成为了全球市场中极具竞争力的一个狠角色。

她的付出使自己在今年赢得了Services to Video Games所颁发的Develop Award，并且Kilpatrick对于英国游戏的贡献将在今后几年里持续下去。

PewDiePie

在去年的这个时候，YouTube上的大明星Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg（或者被叫做PewDiePie）拥有了超过1800万的订阅者。而今天他的订阅者已经超过了3300万，并且他每年能够赚取400万美元左右的利益。据说他还为慈善机构筹集了100万美元。

他的快速发展也体现出了他的影响力的发展，如他帮助了许多独立游戏获得了广大的关注，年初的时候他还帮助了诞生4年的游戏《Skate 3》提升了32.9%的销售额。

Bossa的联合创始人Imre Jele说道：“不管你相不相信，Let’s Players成为了我们产业中一大影响元素，更重要是，它还是无数人了解游戏娱乐的最佳渠道。除了成为最大的独立YouTuber外，非官方的游戏YouTuber在今年还有许多值得自豪的事。”

Dong Nguyen

对于充满抱负的游戏开发者来说，如今的游戏产业已经不再像以前那样难以触及了，来自越南的无名游戏创造者Dong Nguyen面向iOS发行的《Flappy Bird》便快速成为了最受欢迎的一款游戏。

凭借了简单，同时也富有挑战性的游戏玩法，通过广告赚取收益的免费游戏也出现在了App Store的排行榜前列。

游戏的成功招来了许多复制品，尽管Dong Nguyen在宣称《Flappy Bird》太具瘾性后将其撤离了App Store。之后他又带着另一款受欢迎的手机游戏《Swing Copters》回归了，并且我们相信在今后他一定能够为玩家呈现出更有趣且更具挑战性的游戏。

Thatgamecompany的Sunni Pavlovic说道：“Dong Nguyen无疑是2014年游戏领域的黑马，他的成功动摇了现有的一些成绩并证实了独立开发者对于这一产业的影响。《Flappy Bird》带有怀旧的艺术风格和简单的游戏玩法，这是最适合做出改变的内容。很多开发者便是看到《Flappy Bird》的成功才选择进入独立开发领域。”

Palmer Luckey和Brendan Iribe

Palmer Luckey曾经出现在去年我们所列出的对游戏做出改变的25个人的列表中，而在2014年他和Oculus的首席执行官Brendan Iribe通过开发虚拟实境体验机Oculus Rift继续影响着游戏产业。

年初，当Facebook花20亿美元购买了这家初创企业时，我们还不清楚它的命运到底会如何，我们只知道该公司在Kickstarter上筹集到了240美元的资金。

早期人们认为Rift就像三星面向手机而创造的Gear VR，而我们将能在2015年看到Oculus消费者版本的首次发行。

Unity的联合创始人David Helgason说道：“VR的出现将带给产业和玩家一种与众不同的体验。”

Ian Livingstone

我们不能低估Ian Livingstone对于游戏产业以及构成其基础的教育系统的影响。2014年，计算机科学最终成为了第4门科学课程，而这主要归功于Livingstone。

The Next Gen Skills的推动者始终支持将计算机科学带到学校中并取代传统的ICT。

而他同时也在伦敦提交了Livingstone School的申请，如果通过申请，他便会专注于STEAM学科，即科学，技术，工程，美术和数学，同时还会提供基于游戏的学习内容。

2014年，Livingstone还加入了Creative England，并被任命为面向企业，创新和技能部门的创意产业大使。不管怎样对他来说这都是不错的一年。

Modern Dreams的Helana Santos这么写道：“他的Next Gen Skills活动，也就是将编程变成学校的一门学科意味着下一代人将能够拥有对21世纪具有帮助的重要技能。当看到这一行动造福于下一代人时，我们一定会回想起Ian Livingstone的。”

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转发，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

10 people that changed games in 2014

December 31st 2014

By Craig Chapple & James Batchelor

A look at some of the most influential individuals and headline makers in the industry this year

It’s been another eventful year in games, and though not always for the right reasons, there have still been numerous shining lights.

From standing up against online bullies, to those developing new types of gaming and paving the way for others to succeed, there are plenty worthy mentions.

To compile our list, we asked people in the game industry who they felt were the most influential people in the industry in 2014, as well as adding a few of our own picks too.

Anita Sarkeesian

Anita Sarkeesian’s Tropes vs Women in Video Games videos have continued to cause a stir in the game industry and amongst its consumers, as they continue to highlight how women are treated and portrayed in the games we play.

Her videos and opinions have made her one of the lead targets of a hate campaign that has marred the industry this year. Sarkeesian was forced to leave her home due to threats, GDC organisers revealed they had received a number of bomb threats over its decision to hand her the Ambassador Award earlier this year, and if that wasn’t enough, she was forced to cancel a talk at the Utah State University’s Center for Women and Gender over security fears following a threat promising “the deadliest school shooting in American history”.

But through all of this, Sarkeesian has come out fighting and continues to create her videos, attend talks and appear on mainstream television to help change how women are treated in games.

Markus ‘Notch’ Persson

The mastermind behind global sensation Minecraft, Markus Persson, continued to see the world building game break new milestones this year. In fact in February, the PC version was said to have amassed more than 100 million registered players. That’s tens of millions more than the UK’s entire population.

Following years of success, Persson sold developer Mojang to Microsoft for some $2.5 billion in September, showing just how influential a one-time indie studio can be in the game industry.

As Radiant Worlds’ Andrew Oliver says: “He showed that with a good ‘original’ idea and community on board, you can take on all the massive publishers and games and be the real big winner.”

Phil Spencer

Three Fields Entertainment co-founder and former Criterion boss Alex Ward writes:

“How do you solve a problem like Xbox One?” – Would YOU want that job? He steered some genuinely great games this year. From the original Sunset Overdrive to the brilliant Forza Horizon 2. The stage is set for the return of Crackdown in 2015!”

It’s been a tough time for Xbox One in comparison to Sony’s PS4. But Microsoft’s once troubled console is quickly catching up with its renewed focus on games, and a lot of that is thanks to Phil Spencer, who was named as the new head of Xbox in March.

There’s still a way to go, of course, but the vibe surrounding the Xbox One is much more positive than this time last year, that’s for sure.

Sean Murray

Led by Sean Murray, the small Guildford studio Hello Games has shown that you don’t need to work at a superstudio to build a hugely ambitious and highly anticipated game.

In a show of just how vast its upcoming procedurally generated space exploration game No Man’s Sky is, Murray said earlier this year if a player was to visit a planet every second in the title, it would take them some five billion years to find them all.

A year on from its reveal, it’s a game that still delights viewers with each new trailer, promising to offer a unique gameplay experience. The game is a testament to Murray and his talent team’s vision and ambition, and has so far proven that anyone can take on the big publishers with the right idea and execution.

SCEE’s Shahid Ahmad says: “Sean Murray of Hello Games humbly shared an outrageously bold vision of what can still be achieved in games development, even by a small team and had people enraptured by a game that stirs deeply held emotions with its focus on a beautiful vision of the universe. Just about every developer I’ve spoken to was inspired by the ambition and scope of No Man’s Sky, as am I.”

Lynne Kilpatrick

You may not know her, in fact she intentionnaly keeps a low public profile, but Lynne Kilpatrick was one of the most influential people in ensuring the UK received tax breaks, finally enacted after years of campaigning earlier this year.

Working for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Kilpatrick has been a key figure in promoting the game industry in government and what benefits it can offer the UK, helping make the country once again become a serious competitive player on the global stage.

Her work won her a special Develop Award this year for Services to Video Games, and Kilpatrick’s achievements for the UK game sector will be felt for years to come.

PewDiePie

This time last year, YouTube star Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, otherwise known as PewDiePie, had more than 18 million subscribers. Today, he has over 33 million, and is said to be making in the region of $4m per year. He is also said to have raised $1m for charity.

His rapid growth has seen his influence increase such that he has helped numerous indie games receive enormous publicity, and he even helped four-year old title Skate 3 boost sales by 32.9 per cent earlier this year.

As Bossa co-founder Imre Jele states: “Like it or not, Let’s Players became a huge influence on our industry, and more importantly a fantastic source of gaming entertainment for hundreds of millions of people. The unofficial king of gaming YouTubers have a lot of things to be proud of this year beyond becoming the biggest individual YouTuber.”

Dong Nguyen

The game industry has become so accessible to aspiring developers that unknown Vietnam-based game creator Dong Nguyen’s Flappy Bird for iOS was able to quickly become the most talked about game in the world this year.

The free game, making money from ad revenue, shot to the top of the App Store charts thanks to its simple yet challenging and unforgiving gameplay.

The game sparked an array of clones such was its success, though it was eventually pulled from the App Store after his claim that Flappy Bird was too addictive. The developer later returned however with Swing Copters, another popular game for mobile, and will no doubt offer players more fun and challenging games in the coming years.

Thatgamecompany’s Sunni Pavlovic says: “Dong Nguyen proved to be 2014’s dark horse in games, shaking up the establishment and proving the impact a single developer can have in this industry. Flappy Bird’s nostalgic art style and easy gameplay made games, and game development, instantly accessible for a change. Imagine the countless developers who felt empowered enough to make their first foray into indie development because of Flappy Bird.”

Palmer Luckey and Brendan Iribe

Palmer Luckey was in our list of 25 people that changed games last year, and he and Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe continue to make a significant impact on the industry with the development of virtual reality headset the Oculus Rift.

Its fate for a mainstream future was seemingly sealed earlier this year when Facebook bought the start-up for $2bn, showing just how far the technology has come since the firm’s crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter that raised $2.4m.

An early look at what the Rift is capable of was seen with its technology in Samsung’s Gear VR for mobile, and we may see the first release of the consumer version of the Oculus Rift in 2015.

“The emergence of VR is going to give the industry and gamers an experience like no other,” says Unity co-founder David Helgason.

Ian Livingstone

It shouldn’t be underestimated just how influential Ian Livingstone has been not only to the game industry, but to the education system that forms its foundations. This year, computer science finally made its way onto the curriculum as the fourth science (You can view the curriculum outline here), and it’s largely thanks to Livingstone.

The Next Gen Skills campaigner has been a staunch supporter of introducing compuster science to schools to replace traditional ICT for years, often calling it the “the new Latin”.

He’s also formally submitted an application for The Livingstone School in London, which if approved, will focus on the core STEAM subjects: science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics, as well as games-based learning.

During this year Livingstone also joined the Creative England board and has been appointed ambassasor to the creative industries for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. Not a bad year by any means.

Modern Dreams’ Helana Santos writes: “His Next Gen Skills campaign to get coding onto the schools curriculum has meant that a whole new generation will have a vital skill for the 21st century. I think we will look back on this as the movement that empowered another generation.”(source:develop-online)