Why He's No. 36

This video-game producer is the creative force behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise, making him more infamous than famous. His twisted genius has created a virtual universe that is crass, violent and morally bankrupt. In other words, it closely mirrors our actual universe.

Back Stage

One of the core founders (along with brother Dan, Terry Donovan, Gary Foreman and Jamie King) of Rockstar Games in 1988, English-born New York resident Sam Houser was instrumental in turning Grand Theft Auto from a top-down shoot-em-up into arguably one of the most important games of the PlayStation 2 era, serving as Executive Producer of Grand Theft Auto III and kick-starting Rockstar's turn as one of the highest-profile publishers of the last generation. As President of Rockstar, Houser pushed even early in the company's life (prior to adopting the Rockstar Games name and becoming a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, the company was an offshoot of music label BMG dubbed BMG Interactive) to embrace a more cinematic approach to advertising their products. To this end, Rockstar hired employees from a variety of unorthodox locales, including commercial and music video directors, record label owners and night club promoters. As evidenced by cinematic approach to releasing game trailers and game soundtracks loaded with licensed music, the approach seems to have worked, though Houser has also had to become the public face for the company amid the controversy some of the M-rated products have generated.

Forcaste

Sam is responsible for taking GTA into the 3D-environment era, recreating real cities under fully 3D-engines and turning the series into huge profits during video games sixth generation era.