Markus Persson, better known in the world of videogames as Notch, has been selected as one of the most influential people in the world in 2013. Not only that, but, according to readers, he is the second most influential person in the world. The only person who beat him in the 2013 Time 100 Poll is Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi. In comparison, United States President Barack Obama is number 12 on the list, coming just short of beating out martial artist/film star Jackie Chan.
Mohamed Morsi received 172,473 "Absolutely" votes from readers, and 220,663 "No Way" votes. Notch was able to gather 154,9894 "Absolutely" votes from readers, with only 18,006 "No Way" votes received. However, the final list will be chosen by Time's editors, and will be revealed April 18. Interestingly enough, Kim Dotcom, founder of Megaupload, was third on the list, meaning two out of the three top spots on the poll were held by those in the video game and technology industry, and not world leaders or activists.
Even more surprising is that no other video game personnel made the list, meaning Notch is fast becoming the representative of the video game industry to the mainstream media. While the vote could have been overrun with Minecraft fans wishing to boost Notch in the polls, the success of Minecraft and Mojang have undoubtedly changed the way people look at video games. The way Notch has steered Minecraft through the years and turned it from an underground cult classic to mainstream juggernaut is astounding. The game continues to grow and expand, and should be the template for independent developers for years to come.
Other noted figures on the list include Indian politician and activist Arvind Kejriwal, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, South Korean pop star Psy, and English writer Neil Gaiman.