For historical significance I’d go:
Mario
Master Chief
Sonic
Laura Croft
For my personal favorites id go:
Daxter
Arthur Morgan
Kratos
Nathan Drake
How would you put master chief and not Doom guy? Lmao. MC is basically Doom guy lite.
Mario- Most iconic pure gaming character
Pac Man- icon, innovator of laying groundwork for many gaming elements/subcultures
Sub-Zero- Fighting genre representation, Mortal Kombat at the heart of the Senate hearings/cliches that led to the ESRB’s creation
Arthur Morgan- Modern “gaming as art” representative (Kratos and his world revolves so heavily around Greek/Nordic mythology and Geralt was a popular book character first/the Netflix adaptation is based on the books, not game)
I agree Snake should be on the MT Rushmore of gaming, but not one of the 4 main heads on the front.
Snake would be a secret hidden head on the back of the others.