for me it would dante of the devil may cry series not giving a damn but your own and being able to give hell when need be.

An Icon is a image or objet that resembles the characteristics you want to expres.

Example. The lion is an Icon of Royalty, because his image resembles power, and he is a king sourounded by subdits (female lions).

The word you are looking for is Symbol, a symbol does not have to share characteristics of what it's represent, like Mario,. He is a symbol of nintendo, maybe a symbol of videogames perhaps

master chief

Snake (Solid & Naked), icon of stealth games & battling evil giant robot prototypes.

lara croft has become almost a generation icon, thank God it wasn`t my generation .
Megaman, sonic, mario, there are lots of pretty well know game heroes and villains.

Link is the symbol of advenure games

Master Chief is the best and so is Halo and Halo 2

Megaman, icon of shooting nearly any robot in the way.

Cloud Strife, to me, is definitely an icon. At least in Final Fantasy or the RPG world. Many people know him, even though they've never played the game.

Definetly Master Chief for me

Torque. The ability to look all you demons and sins in the face with out flinching and doing what you know (or think) is right.

-Solid Snake and Rikimaru in the stealth games.
-Lara Croft in adventure games.
-Scorpion and Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat in fighting games

Wolfenstein > all

Solid Snake, it's an videogames icon....

I've gotta agree with everyone who said the Master Chief because he's just so damn awesome.

Mario. I grew up with him, and he's on the back of all the Nintendo manuals. (and if you've ever played Tennis for gameboy, the black and white one, Mario's the referee.

In my perspective, I would say Sam Fisher from the Splinter Cell series would be the icon or symbol of stealth games 'cause somewhere in the world, there may be a possibility that someone's actually doing what Sam's been doing in video games......

As for shooting games, Master Chief is the best to fit that position of being an icon of shooting games....

For survival horror games, Leon from RE4 should be the character to represent that genre.....

mario and rockman

i would choose Cloud from FF7 as an Icon. He has fought his own bad Past and figths for and wiht his friends whatever comes up

for me its must be dante from devilñ may cry sure

Mario.

Anyone remembers a time when he was more famous than Mickey? I think it was around the time that movie "The Wizard" was released that someone did a research and found out more kids knew who he was than Mickey.

Before Master Chief, there was Samus Aran. Know thy roots.

Also, no one has mentioned Sonic the Hedgehog! He was also more recognizeable than Mickey Mouse at one time.

..Megaman, starfox

his get blaster and goes around shooting everything that comes in his way.. at least (robot can't kill a human the first code of robots)
going around in a plane shooting

Mario is definately a video game icon, no doubt. He's everywhere - about as famous as Mickey Mouse. And *in my opinion* NO ONE can top them. XP