The player

Steve Jobs as one of gaming's top figures? Not so fast, writes CIARA O'BRIEN

THE IDEA that Apple has changed the games industry is not a new one. But would you consider the late Steve Jobs one of the most influential people in the games industry? So says a new survey.

The fact that Jobs is up there with some of the leading figures in the industry is no surprise; the iPad and iPhone have shifted the landscape for mobile gaming. It’s his position in comparison to industry pioneers that will probably cause most surprise.

Almost half of those who took part in the survey ranked Jobs in the top five. And just over a quarter said he was the most influential person in gaming. Sixteen per cent voted for Gabe Newell and 7 per cent for Shigeru Miyamoto. Tim Berners-Lee and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg rounded out the top five at 4 per cent and 3 per cent respectively.

It doesn’t stop at the most influential people. Apple was also named top of the devices with the most influence on the industry, with the iPhone coming in ahead of every console, every handheld system ever made.

Some 1,000 industry professionals were canvassed for the survey ahead of the London Games Conference, which began yesterday.

The findings have caused a bit of controversy online, and with good reason. Yes, Apple products opened up the casual gaming arena to a wider audience. But games built by Miyamoto and Newell helped shape the industry into what it is today.

To put it in context, Miyamoto was involved in the development of the Mario games, Legend of Zeldaand Donkey Kong, to name a few, creating some of the most enduring and recognisable characters in the industry.

Newell co-founded games studio Valve and has developed well-known titles such as Half-Lifeand Portal, and also worked on digital distribution platform Steam.

And Apple? Mac computers, despite their history of leading the way in the use of user interfaces, aren’t the platform of choice for gamers. The more successful mobile platform, the iPhone, was launched in 2007 and originally didn’t allow third-party software. The App Store and the Software Developer Kit that has supported so much of the innovation on the platform came only in 2008.

Yes, Jobs and Apple deserve some credit for creating a platform that appealed to the masses and made it easier for both developers and the general public to access mobile games. It has certainly shaken things up, particularly in the handheld space.

But the accolade of most influential on the games industry may be a little premature just yet.