I don't want to say that BAFTA has no business declaring the most iconic video game character of all time with their "worldwide" poll of "over 4000 gamers," so I'll let their list say it for me.
Lara Croft, Tomb Raider
Mario, Super Mario
Agent 47, Hitman
Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog
Sackboy, LittleBigPlanet
Pac-Man, Pac-Man
Link, The Legend of Zelda
Master Chief, Halo
Kratos, God of War
Shadowheart, Baldur’s Gate 3
Arthur Morgan, Red Dead Redemption 2
Pikachu, Pokémon
Steve, Minecraft
Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid
Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot
Cloud Strife, Final Fantasy VII
Astarion, Baldur’s Gate 3
Kazuma Kiryu, Yakuza
Ellie Williams, The Last of Us
Nathan Drake, Uncharted
OK. Lara is pretty well known in many places (not Japan), but more iconic than Mario? Please. And #3 is generic bald guy Agent 47? Does your mom know who Agent 47 is? No, of course not - he's not iconic. Pac-Man? Iconic. Pikachu? Iconic. SACKBOY? Not iconic.
This list is wickety wack, y'all.
Stick to films, BAFTA.