The 20th BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Games Awards gala is still a few days away (it starts at 7pm BST on April 11th), but one of their polls has revealed which character is considered the most iconic video game character from the games industry.

More than four thousand votes were cast to produce a top 20 list, with Tomb Raider protagonist Lara Croft as the most iconic video game character. Not Mario (he came in second), but surprisingly Agent 47 from Hitman came in third. Sonic did not make the podium (fourth place), and others finished in surprisingly low positions. Let’s take a look at the others, starting with fifth place: Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet), Pac-Man, Link (The Legend of Zelda), Master Chief (Halo), Kratos (God of War), Shadowheart (Baldur’s Gate 3), Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption 2), Pikachu (Pokémon), Steve (Minecraft), Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid), Crash Bandicoot, Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII), Astarion (Baldur’s Gate 3), Kazuma Kiryu (Yakuza), Ellie Williams (The Last of Us), and Nathan Drake (Uncharted). Larian’s game also made the list with two characters, proving that Baldur’s Gate 3 is no slouch.

Shelley Blond, the original creator and voice of Lara Croft, had this to say about Miss Croft’s number one spot: “When I voiced the original Tomb Raider game, I had no idea it would be such a global phenomenon, and neither did Eidos or Core Design. They had only done children’s games before, and of course they hoped it would be a success, but I think it exceeded all expectations. When it came to creating the voice for Lara Croft, it was just by looking at the rough sketches I had in front of me and taking note of the fact that she was a female Indiana Jones type of character, brave and well-spoken.

Lara is very special to me because she means so much to players. I love hearing stories from people all over the world who have played the game and channelled Lara to escape their bullies or to feel stronger when they wanted to come out to their loved ones. And the best part is hearing how players played the game with their parents who are no longer with us, and the sound of my voice, the music from the game, and the sound effects are all wrapped up in their memories of that loved one. I’m honored to be a part of that for them. I found out long after I started dating my husband that he played Tomb Raider and loved hearing Lara Croft scream and say ‘no’. Now, of course, he has to deal with that on a daily basis,” Blond said.

Congratulations to the winner.

Source: WCCFTech