This is the time of the year where most sites are doing their top ten lists about different subjects. Personally, I hate top ten lists. If I'm going to do one, then it's going to be about something I'm passionate about. Therefore, we have two top ten list articles on GamingAngels.com. Here we are looking at the ten women that influenced the gaming industry in a big way over the last ten years. This isn't an all-inclusive list and I'd love for you to join in the conversation by including your nominees in the comments. The game industry is starting to see change and some of it is due to the women on this list paving the path. Here in random order, are ten women that really changed the game industry over the last ten years.

Lucy Bradshaw has to start the list with her work on the Sims beginning in the year 2000. Lucy and the Maxis team created a game that would be named the best selling PC game to date. The Sims is also credited for bringing more women into playing games. Lucy Bradshaw now leads the efforts of the Maxis team on the various Spore titles. She is an amazing speaker and is always pushing the industry forward.

Kim Swift took the game industry by storm with the much praised hit, Portal. Swift was hired by Valve after graduation and won many awards with a title that appealed to casual and the hardcore. Swift has now joined Airtight Games to assist with games aimed at a more diverse audience.
Jade Raymond was the producer on Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed. While she had been a producer on previous titles including The Sims Online, Jade definitely had to put up with controversy from men that couldn't get over her looks. Yes guys, it is possible to be gorgeous and talented.
Corrinne Yu is an amazing woman. She's the principal programmer at Microsoft's Halo team. I met her at a GDC Women in Games luncheon where she was rewarded for her work on the Halo series. She dresses like a rock star and talks about programming theory unlike anyone I know. Corrinne is an inspiration as we look at the problem of not enough women going into programming as a discipline.
Megan Gaiser is the President and CEO of Her Interactive. Through her work at Her Interactive, she has helped make intelligent games for the younger female audience. Her Interactive games create the Nancy Drew series of games that are very popular. Megan works hard in both talks and through her work at Her Interactive to get more girls interested in gaming both as a hobby and as a career.
Kellee Santiago is an amazing young woman from the Interactive Media program at USC. She is the president and co-founder of ThatGameCompany, a company that strives to create games that create an emotion in the player. Their first two games, flOw and Flower on the Playstation 3 are not only beautiful but also appeal to a more diverse audience. During our interview with her at the Spike VGAs, it was great to see her passionate and excited about the future of ThatGameCompany. We look forward to Kellee pushing the boundaries of what we think about games.
Amy Hennig works as Naughty Dog as the Creative Director on Uncharted and Uncharted 2. Uncharted 2 is second in the top 20 ranked Playstation 3 games on Metacritic. Amy concentrates on story and actors and it shows. Uncharted 2 has some of the best voice acting of any game out there. It will be interesting to see how close to films that Amy and the Naughty Dog team can take video games.
Deborah Mars is the Managing Producer at SCEA Santa Monica Studio who worked on PSN title, Fat Princess. The title had early uproar from various websites because the game was built around the mechanic of feeding your princess cake so she would weigh more and be harder to kidnap. In the end, Deborah and her team proved that Fat Princess is an incredibly fun title.
Cammie Dunaway is the executive vice president of sales & marketing at Nintendo. As one of the most powerful people at Nintendo, she led the way to reach out to women gamers with the Nintendo DS and Wii. She has had a rough road being criticized for being too nice or even fake. I interviewed Cammie at the 2007 Women's Conference and she was sweet but also very knowledgeable about the products available. She genuinely wants to see a more diverse audience enjoy gaming.
We end our list with a female that has taken community on the Xbox 360 to another level. Christa Phillips Charter, better known as Trixie360, was responsible for many community initiatives for the 360 that is what makes us feel at home on the 360. She organized Game with Fame nights, Community Spotlights, Gamer Spotlights, and created/founded GamerChix a place where female Xbox gamers can gather to talk about gaming. Christa has always made herself available to gamers. Her new title is Social Media Lead of Xbox LIVE and we can't see where she takes Community and Games next!

I hope you enjoyed our list and I'd love to hear who you think should be on the list. We didn't include the wonderful women that run amazing communities or clans, but they definitely could be here as well. I'd like to thank Robin Yang for working with me on ideas for this list. Here's to another 10 years of greatness from women in games!

Reprinted with permission from GamingAngels.com.

If you ask Trina, she was born a geek girl at heart. Starting with the Atari 2600, Trina was quickly hooked. By eight she was programming games in Basic and starting her collection of comic books. Trina created a female-based guild for Phantasy Star Online. This started the idea of what a place on the web for women gamers would look like. GamingAngels.com was born in 2003 as a video game cosplay site and transformed in 2006 to an online gaming community. Today GamingAngels.com is more than just gaming. With the help of her team, Trina has created a community where women that love all things geek can speak freely about their hobby.

Trina has appeared on panels and been interviewed about her strong opinions about women in gaming and technology fields. If she's not working on GamingAngels.com, she might be cheering on the Vikings, playing videogames or reading Twitter.

Find her on Xbox Live with Gamertag, GamingAngel or on Twitter as GamingAngel.

1. World of Warcraft, released 2004 - 8.5 million subscribers.

2. Habbo Hotel, released 2000 - 7.5 million active users.

3. RuneScape, released 2001 - 5 million active users.

4. Club Penguin, released 2006 - 4 million active users.

5. Webkinz, released 2005 - 3.8 million active users.

6. Gaia Online, released 2003 - 2 million active users.

7. Guild Wars, released 2005 - 2 million active users.

8. Puzzle Pirates, released 2003 - 1.5 million active users.

9. Lineage I/II, released 1998 - 1 million subscribers.

10. Second Life, released 2003 - 500,000 active users.

Both Habbo Hotel and Webkinz are for kids. When I say kids, I mean the kind that enjoy eating Ling Ling potstickers from Costco while watching Kim Possible and Gilmore Girls (yes, we're all sad it's been cancelled). I'm all for kids playing video games, but I do think it's weird that they pay to be exposed to everyone in the world. Maybe my maternal instincts are starting to kick in, but it's probably more likely that I've been watching too much "To Catch a Predator". Kim Phu

Top 10 Most Popular MMO Games List [Videogames Blogger]

ScrewAttack's Craig just shot me their latest top ten list: The worst ways to die. The list includes classics like Battle Toads and Cubivore and even points out that Burger Time has some post death tea-bagging by those viscious hot dogs. While the list decides that having a sword slammed through your head after you see it coming is the worst way to die, I'd have to disagree. Back when I was a police reporter, I once covered a man being crushed to death by stack of marble floor slabs. These stacked slabs were each the size of a nice-sized room and quite think. The occupational safety inspector later told me there was no space between the slabs when they found the poor guy. Brian Crecente

Our car-loving brother site Jalopnik points out that ForbesAuto created a top ten list for video games with cars. The thing is it's missing quite a few. Like, there's no NASCAR games, no Forumla 1 games, no Rally games and somehow Forza didn't make the list. It's like the ten games that the listmaker heard their younger, cooler brother talking about. Also, as Ray Wert points out, they friggin included the Fast and the Furious. This list is dead to me. Brian Crecente

ForbesAutos.com Top 10 Video Games with Cars

1. Gran Turismo 4

2. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

3. OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast

4. Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed

5. Spy Hunter

6. Project Gotham Racing 3

7. Sega GT 2002

8. Test Drive Unlimited

9. Pole Position

10. The Fast and the Furious

ForbesAutos Touches Its Joystick, Fires Out a Top Ten List of Car Video Games [Jalopnik]

Oh Destructoid, it's been so long since I've written you one of my little mash notes. I don't mean to neglect you, I just got distracted.

If our popular music demanded we become the Eye of the Tiger, then you bet your ass we were gonna name our movies, video games, heroes, vehicles, toys, and children after predatory animals " especially snakes. While your parents were doing cocaine, you were in the living room and arcades playing games like Twin Cobras, Cobra Command, Codename: Viper, Cobra Triangle, and others to make you feel like Serpentor: hissing.

Destructoid rocks faces and asses with this serpentine top-ten of the greatest snakey moments in video games. The selection above is from Number 9: Gaming in the 80's in General. Other members of this fine lineup include the Pitfall cobra, Coily the Q-Bert snake, and a finale that will leave you breathless. And braless. Eliza Gauger

Snakes in Games! [Desnaketoid]

It looks like something finally cracked the stranglehold the Xbox 360 had on GameFly's Top 10 List. The list shows the top ten most requested games from the game rental company.

Hit the jump to see which Playstation 2 title made it to number one last week. Brian Crecente

1 Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus PlayStation 2 Action Adventure Square Enix
2 Dead Rising Xbox 360 Action Adventure Capcom
3 Saint's Row Xbox 360 Action Adventure THQ
4 N3: Ninety-Nine Nights Xbox 360 RPG Microsoft
5 Prey Xbox 360 Shooter Take Two
6 Chromehounds Xbox 360 Shooter Sega
7 NCAA Football 07 Xbox 360 Sports Electronic Arts
8 Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II Xbox 360 Sports Electronic Arts
9 Gears of War Xbox 360 Shooter Microsoft
10 Madden NFL 07 Xbox 360 Sports Electronic Arts

When a Top Ten List of the Hottest Guys in the Video Game Industry is this sad, you pretty much know that the industry is filled with hirsute, pimply cromagnons. For example, Adam Sessler, left, who looks like he just crawled out of a stripper's rectum in full delirium tremens mode to phone in another pantless G4 co-hosting session.

The rest of the list is slightly better: yes, Cliffy B. is dreamy, and I don't know what it is about Asian guys, but even when they aren't objectively handsome, they make up for it in style and a fastidious zealousness in personal grooming. But Tony Tallarico looks like he should be breaking fingers for the mob, Victor Lucas looks like the sort of wounded puppy who asks girls out with the phrase "Will you go out on a date with me please?" and the picture of Kevin Pereira apparently catches him in the middle of unhinging his jaw to swallow a wharf rat.

Ashcraft and I are way hotter than any of these dudes. Florian Eckhardt

The Top Ten Hottest Guys in the Video Game Industry [The Girl Gamer]

Not to be outdone, they have gone meta and posted their Top Ten Top Ten Lists List, which reads as follows:

1. Joystiq's top 10 hidden gems of this generation

2. Top Ten hugely overrated games

3. Meta top 10 video game list

4. 10 franchises that need a return

5. Top 10 custom-built consoles

6. The 10 worst in-game quotes

7. CNET top 10 video games 1995 to 2005

8. Top 10 HD myths, in full resolution

9. Readers vote on top 10 NES games

10. Top 10 reasons the Xbox 360 doesn't quite rock, yet

Next up will be a Top Ten Worst, I'm sure, and I hope Top Ten Hottest Video Game Guys makes the cut. I've never seen a more milktoast m'elange of "..."-spouting yaoi fodder in my entire life.

No Guybrush?! And where the hell is Gordon? No love for the strong, silent, crowbar-toting type? For shame. Eliza gauger

Joystiq's Top Ten Top Ten Gaming Lists [Joystiq]

Gamers, sensitive creatures that they are, are disappointed more often than alchemists who poison themselves blind and deranged in their tireless search for gold.

Our exhausted brains clench in disgust at every offensive new sequel or relentless remake. It's what gives us our charming vitriol, which is the source of Florian's savage dominion over his crowd of nubile groupies, or "Florites".

It was therefore with relish that I consumed "Downward Spiral: Game Series That Jumped the Shark" over on Games.net. In regards to my darling Twisted Metal:

But the magic was wearing thin by the third installment, which piled on disappointment after disappointment. The bouncy new physics system meant that the slightest breeze could flip over your car, while the newly-nerfed arsenal meant that rockets became about as damaging as spitballs. The result? Competitive matches that drug on for hours at a time, set to ear-splitting industrial noise (thank you, Rob Zombie).

And who tops the list? Bond. James Bond. It was all downhill from Goldeneye, my friends. Eliza gauger

Downward Spiral: Game Series that Jumped the Shark [ Games.net]

IGN counts down a list of the top 10 video game villains. The list is after the jump, see if they left any of your favorites off. Some of mine are definitely missing.

Top 10 Tuesday: Most Memorable Villains [IGN]

1. The Nazi's (tons of games)
2. Sephiroth Final Fantasy VII
3. Wesker Resident Evil series
4. SHODAN System Shock series
5. Kerrigan StarCraft
6. Psycho Mantis Metal Gear Solid
7. Evil Otto Berserk
8. Dracula Castlevania series
9. Dr. Robotnik Sonic series
10. Bowser Mario series

1. Army s Men: Sarge s War
2. Galaga
3. Root Beer Tapper
4. Worms Armageddon
5. BurgerTime
6. Pac-Man
7. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
8. Hoyle Slots & Video Poker
9. Dig Dug
10. Sonic the Hedgehog

Browse more top video games [Amazon]

Garage Games' Marble Blast Ultra hit the top ten Xbox Live game list last week. Pretty amazing, especially when you think about the minimal development costs.

1 Halo 2
2 Call of Duty 2
3 DEAD OR ALIVE 4
4 Perfect Dark Zero
5 PGR3
6 Need for Speed Most Wanted
7 Battlefield 2: MC
8 Madden NFL 06
9 Full Auto Demo
10 Marble Blast Ultra

Marble Blast Rolls into the Top Xbox Live Games List [Major Nelson]

It's funny, despite all of the newer titles hitting the service, Pac-Man and Galaga were numbers two and three in their top ten.

January s Top 10 Most Played List:

1. Virtua Racing Deluxe
2. Galaga
3. Pac-Man
4. Toy Commander
5. Dig Dug
6. Golden Axe
7. Heroes of Might and Magic IV
8. Worms Armageddon
9. BurgerTime
10. Hydro Thunder

This month the game service will see the Lords of the Realm trilogy, Pitstop and three Might and Magic games.

I really need to check out this service and write up a review.

Gametap

Top Sellers on Xbox Live Arcade [IGN]

1. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
2. Gauntlet
3. Smash TV
4. Bejeweled II
5. Zuma
6. Bankshot Billiards
7. Outpost Kaloki
8. Mutant Storm Reloaded
9. Joust
10. Wik: Fable of Souls

More from the piece: "The only games released this year to make the Top 10 list through last month have been the new Madden football game and Gran Turismo 4 for PlayStation 2 and Pokemon Emerald for the Game Boy Advance."

This Year's Top Blockbusters? They're So Last Year [The New York Times]