This week, IGN published our Top 30 People of 2011 list . We picked out five truly outstanding individuals and invited you, our readers, to pick the 'Person of the Year.'

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The winner is Notch.He beat out stiff competition, including Satoru Iwata, Amy Hennig, Erik Wolpaw and Mikael Hed.Why did he win? Clearly, Notch has a significant following, and his achievements have drawn many people to his colors. Without a marketing or development budget Markus "Notch" Persson toiled away at Minecraft , creating what is undoubtedly one of the best known games of the last decade. It has invaded popular culture, and sold millions of copies without a single advertisement.He also helped create a new pricing model for indie development. Instead of charging for a final product, he sold the alpha of his game, giving subsequent updates to anyone who bought in early. Suddenly the audience felt more connected and invested in Minecraft But more than anything, Notch is gaming's person of the year for being so inspiring. Always humble, this young man from Sweden emboldens struggling indie developers, and challenges a new generation of children to look at gaming as more than just something they play, but something they can become a creative force in. Minecraft and Markus may fade from memory in the next decade, but we'll be seeing their influence for decades to come.Notch, his development company Mojang and his game Minecraft represent hope, a runaway success story in a time when the world could use a bit of good news.