PewDiePie and Anita Sarkeesian Join List of Internet Influencers

As a new indication of gaming's broadening cultural relevance, two people who work in the industry have made TIME's list of the 30 most influential people on the internet.

Joining a power-list populated by the likes of Barack Obama and Ta-Nehisi Coates is PewDiePie, the idiosyncratic twentysomething gamer who posts Let's Play videos on YouTube, and Anita Sarkeesian, the award winning feminist games critic.

In the preface to its list, TIME wrote that "the rise of social networks has levelled the playing field, allowing unknowns to command audiences rivalling those of real-world leaders, even if by accident."

PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, hosts the most subscribed YouTube channel in the world, with a mass of more than 35 million fans. Kjellberg tends to make videos independently, but sometimes does promotional work for games companies. In November 2013, developer Techland revealed gameplay footage of its Dying Light project via a PewDiePie Let's Play that reached close to five million views.

Anita Sarkeesian's relationship with her audience, however, is more complex. While the essayist is widely praised for her work, with supporters including the likes of Tim Schafer and Neil Druckmann, she is routinely attacked by internet commentators, who typically do so anonymously.

In an ironic twist, the volume of hate against Sarkeesian and her message--that games should strive for universal appeal and positive messages--has propelled her popularity. In October, she appeared on national television, on The Colbert Report, to discuss her views on gender equality in games.