Check out this interview with Steve Wozniak. He' s best known as the designer of the Apple computer, and, with Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple. But he' s always had a monumentally important connection to the development of gaming as we know it.

He designed the original chipset for the Atari coin-op " Breakout" when games were completely hardware-based. Soon after, he envisioned designing a microprocessor-based home computer (the Apple II) which would be able to play software-based games, have color graphics and analog controllers.

He also became a Tetris champion in later years and apparently always had the high score for NES Tetris in " Nintendo Power" magazine.

Steve Jobs has the business savvy (debatable, btw), but Woz is the heart and soul (and brains) of home computing and gaming.


Edit: source - Gamasutra, reprinted from Vintage Computing and Gaming.