Videogame revolution started from a Plumber

Forget Microsoft's Bill Gates, Sony's Nobuyuki Idei, or Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata. The most powerful person in the videogame industry isn't a CEO -- he's a plumber.
A mustachioed, Italian, red-shirt-and-overalls-clad plumber, to be precise. His name is Mario, and he's the hero of the best-selling franchise in the gaming world, and one of a dozen characters who have consistently proved their marketability and staying power.
Over the past 25 years, Mario-themed games have sold more than 185 million copies worldwide.
Created in 1981 by Nintendo's legendary videogame designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario was initially only known as 'Jumpman,' the nondescript hero of arcade hit Donkey Kong.
But before the American release of the game, the character was re-christened in honor of Mario Segale, landlord of a warehouse owned by Nintendo America, to whom he reportedly bore a physical similarity.
Mario got his big break four years later when, the Nintendo Entertainment System was launched. It quickly became one of the most successful game consoles in history, and Mario -- star of Super Mario Brothers, which came bundled with many of those consoles -- was assured his place in history. To date, he's starred in or made guest appearances in more than 140 games.
Nintendo didn't run out of steam after it unleashed its hero plumber on the world: Several other of the worlds' best-selling game franchises were created by the 116-year-old company, including Donkey Kong (which has sold nearly 48 million games outside of the Mario titles) and The Legend of Zelda (about 47 million).