Spike Video Game Awards

The Spike Video Game Awards (also known as the VGAs, and the VGX in its final year) were an annual award show hosted by Spike TV between 2003 and 2013 (a decade long run) that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. The VGAs featured live music performances and appearances by popular performers in music, movies, and television. Additionally, preview trailers for upcoming games were highlighted. The show was produced by GameTrailers TV's Geoff Keighley. The event has been held at various locations in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California as well as Las Vegas, Nevada. The first event was held on December 2, 2003 (aired on December 4) while the last event was held on December 7, 2013. Spike's only Video Game Hall of Fame award, given to The Legend of Zelda, was awarded at the 2011 awards show.[1] On November 15, 2013, Spike TV announced a new format under the name VGX, calling it "The next generation of the VGAs". The last award show, carrying this name, aired on December 7.[2] Changes from the previous format included "in-depth extended demos of the next generation of games and interactive one-on-one interviews and panels in an intimate studio setting."[3]

On November 10, 2014, it was announced that Spike would drop their award show ending their decade-long run.[4] Geoff Keighley went on to create his own video game award show in the form of The Game Awards starting in that year, dropping the support from Spike.[4]

VGX

2013 Awards

The 2013 awards were rebranded as VGX and held on December 7, 2013, and was hosted by Joel McHale.[2] The show featured a different format from previous years. It featured extended demos of next-generation games, one-on-one interviews, and "a more intimate studio setting." Rather than airing live on Spike TV, the show was livestreamed online on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Twitch, Steam, iOS, and Android devices, as well as on GameTrailers.com and the websites of Spike, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV2, and BET.[5] As with previous years, the show featured exclusive world premieres of game demos and trailers. The 2013 VGX premieres included Telltale Games' and Gearbox Software's collaboration Tales From the Borderlands, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (an Xbox One and PlayStation 4 port with graphical updates and all DLC included), Remedy Entertainment's Agents of Storm for iOS, Telltale Games' Game of Thrones, and independent developer Hello Games' No Man's Sky. The 2013 show also featured reveals of Titanfall, Thief, Quantum Break, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Broken Age, Dying Light, Tom Clancy's The Division, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime demoed an upcoming Wii U game, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and Rockstar Games worked with the production team to produce a musical performance of the music of Grand Theft Auto V.[6]

Award Winner[7] Nominees[8]
Game of the Year Grand Theft Auto V
Studio of the Year Naughty Dog, The Last of Us
Character of the Year The Lutece Twins, BioShock Infinite
Best Shooter BioShock Infinite
Best Action-Adventure Game Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Best Sports Game NBA 2K14
Best Independent Game Gone Home
Best RPG Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Best Fighting Game Injustice: Gods Among Us
Best Driving Game Forza Motorsport 5
Best DLC Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Best Xbox Game Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Best PlayStation Game The Last of Us
Best Nintendo Game Super Mario 3D World
Best PC Game Gone Home
Best Handheld Game The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Best Casual Game Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Best Mobile Game Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
Best Voice Actor Troy Baker as Joel, The Last of Us
Best Voice Actress Ashley Johnson as Ellie, The Last of Us
Best Soundtrack Grand Theft Auto V
Best Song in a Game "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" performed by Courtnee Draper and Troy Baker, BioShock Infinite
Most Anticipated Game Titanfall

Spike Video Game Awards

2012 Awards

The 2012 VGAs (promoted as VGA 10 for the tenth anniversary) was held on December 7, 2012, at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California. Samuel L. Jackson returned to host for a fourth time.[9] This was the last year under the name "Spike Video Game Awards". For the first time, the awards were broadcast on Xbox Live. Live users could "play" the show as it aired live. Responses to poll questions were tabulated in real time on screen for the Xbox Live audience and users with Xbox SmartGlass devices got a unique second-screen experience that updated in real time alongside the show content. Additionally, Spike TV and Entertainment Weekly partnered to create the first-ever "Entertainment Weekly and Spike VGA Best Game of the Decade" award. Exclusive world premieres that debuted at VGA 10 include Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, Epic Games' Gears of War: Judgment, Obsidian Entertainment's South Park: The Stick of Truth, Konami's Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, Irrational Games' BioShock Infinite, Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington, and 343 Industries' Halo 4: Spartan Ops. Two new games were announced, including Dark Souls II by From Software, and a new game called The Phantom Pain (later revealed to be Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain). The event also had appearances from all past hosts of the VGAs except David Spade. The event featured musical performances by Linkin Park, Tenacious D, Gustavo Santaolalla and Wolfgang Gartner.[10]

Award Winner Nominees
Game of the Year The Walking Dead
Studio of the Year Telltale Games, The Walking Dead: The Game
Best Xbox 360 Game Halo 4
Best PS3 Game Journey
Best Wii/Wii U Game New Super Mario Bros. U
Best PC Game XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Best Handheld/Mobile Game Sound Shapes
Best Shooter Borderlands 2
Best Action Adventure Game Dishonored
Best RPG Mass Effect 3
Best Multi-player Game Borderlands 2
Best Individual Sports Game SSX
Best Team Sports Game NBA 2K13
Best Driving Game Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Best Fighting Game Persona 4 Arena
Best Independent Game Journey
Best Adapted Video Game The Walking Dead: The Game
Best Song in a Game "Cities" by Beck, Sound Shapes
Best Original Score Journey
Best Graphics Halo 4
Best Performance by a Human Male Dameon Clarke as Handsome Jack, Borderlands 2
Best Performance by a Human Female Melissa Hutchison as Clementine, The Walking Dead: The Game
Best Downloadable Game The Walking Dead: The Game
Best Social Game You Don't Know Jack
Best DLC The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard
Most Anticipated Game Grand Theft Auto V
Character of the Year Claptrap, Borderlands 2
Best Game of the Decade Half-Life 2

2011 Awards

The 2011 VGAs was held Saturday, December 10, 2011, at the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, hosted by Zachary Levi.[11] The awards previewed world premieres of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Patriots, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, BioShock Infinite, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD, The Amazing Spider-Man, the exclusive PlayStation 3 game The Last of Us developed by Naughty Dog, Command & Conquer: Generals 2 from BioWare Victory, and Fortnite from Epic Games. New trailers for both Hitman: Absolution and Mass Effect 3 were aired during the show, as well as a pre-show announcement for Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Mark Burnett was the Executive Producer for the event, and for the first time, the VGAs aired live on MTV 2 (US), Spike.com (US) and Ginx TV (UK), in addition to Spike TV. The winners, as well as world premiere trailers, were announced during a pre-show red carpet live event hosted by GTTV's Amanda MacKay and Daniel Kayser. The 2011 VGAs also honored The Legend of Zelda franchise with its first ever "Video Game Hall of Fame Award".[1] Another unique award at the 2011 VGAs was the NFL Blitz Cover Athlete award. This award, determined by live online voting during the event (just like Character of the Year), determined which NFL athlete would be on the cover of the EA Sports game, NFL Blitz.[12] Appearances were by Charlie Sheen, Brooklyn Decker, Seth Green, Felicia Day, LL Cool J, Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Tony Hawk, will.i.am, Hulk Hogan, Stacy Keibler, Bellator MMA stars Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler, Blake Anderson, Adam Devine, Anders Holm, and game designers Cliff Bleszinski of Epic Games and Hideo Kojima of Konami. Musical performances were by The Black Keys and Deadmau5.[13]

Award Winner Nominees
Game of the Year The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Video Game Hall of Fame The Legend of Zelda N/A
Gamer God Blizzard Entertainment N/A
Studio of the Year Bethesda Game Studios, The Elders Scrolls V: Skyrim
Best Xbox 360 Game Batman: Arkham City
Best PS3 Game Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Best Wii Game The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Best PC Game Portal 2
Best Handheld/Mobile Game Super Mario 3D Land
Best Shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Best Action Adventure Game Batman: Arkham City
Best RPG The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Best Multiplayer Portal 2
Best Individual Sports Game Fight Night Champion
Best Team Sports Game NBA 2K12
Best Driving Game Forza Motorsport 4
Best Fighting Game Mortal Kombat
Best Motion Game The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Best Independent Game Minecraft
Best Adapted Video Game Batman: Arkham City
Best Song in a Game "Build That Wall (Zia's Theme)" by Darren Korb, Bastion
  • "Exile Vilify" by The National, Portal 2
  • "I’m Not Calling You a Liar" by Florence + the Machine, Dragon Age II
  • "Setting Sail, Coming Home (End Theme)" by Darren Korb, Bastion
  • "Want You Gone" by Jonathan Coulton, Portal 2
Best Original Score Bastion
Best Graphics Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Best Performance by a Human Male Stephen Merchant as Wheatley, Portal 2
Best Performance by a Human Female Ellen McLain as GLaDOS, Portal 2
Best Downloadable Game Bastion
Best DLC Portal 2: Peer Review
Most Anticipated Game Mass Effect 3
GameTrailers.com Trailer of the Year Assassin's Creed: Revelations, E3 2011 Trailer
Character of the Year The Joker, Batman: Arkham City
NFL Blitz Cover Athlete Ray Rice

2010 Awards

The 2010 VGAs was held Saturday, December 11, 2010, in Los Angeles, California at the L.A. Convention Center and returned to using a host which was Neil Patrick Harris. Unlike previous years, all the awards were not awarded during the show. Several new games were announced which include BioWare's announcement of Mass Effect 3, Prototype 2, Insane from acclaimed movie director Guillermo del Toro, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Mortal Kombat featuring Kratos, Resistance 3, Portal 2, SSX: Deadly Descents, and Forza Motorsport 4. Batman: Arkham City had another CGI trailer debut and the first trailer of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception aired during the awards. Appearances included AnnaLynne McCord, Thor: God of Thunder video game star Chris Hemsworth, Dane Cook, Olivia Munn, Dominic Monaghan, Michael Chiklis, Academy Award nominated film director Guillermo del Toro, Halo: Reach star and VGA nominee Nathan Fillion, Nick Swardson, Tony Hawk, and the cast from the hit series It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Danny DeVito, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, and Rob McElhenney. Musical performances included award winning violinist Diana Yukawa,[14] My Chemical Romance, and José González. The show featured use of ground breaking augmented reality technology, conceived by Done and Dusted; with Lee Lodge, in partnership with Weider Design, Full Mental Jacket, and Orad.[15]

Award Winner Nominees
Game of the Year Red Dead Redemption
Studio of the Year BioWare, Mass Effect 2
Best Xbox 360 Game Mass Effect 2
Best PS3 Game God of War III
Best Wii Game Super Mario Galaxy 2
Best PC Game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
Best Handheld Game God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Best Shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops
Best Action Adventure Game Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Best RPG Mass Effect 2
Best Multiplayer Halo: Reach
Best Individual Sports Game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11
Best Team Sports Game NBA 2K11
Best Driving Game Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Best Music Game Rock Band 3
Best Soundtrack DJ Hero 2
Best Song in a Game "Far Away" by José González, Red Dead Redemption
Best Original Score Red Dead Redemption
Best Graphics God of War III
Best Adapted Video Game Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game
Best Performance by a Human Male Neil Patrick Harris as Peter Parker/Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Best Performance by a Human Female Tricia Helfer as Sarah Kerrigan, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
Best Downloadable Game Costume Quest
Best DLC Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Best Independent Game Limbo
Most Anticipated Game Portal 2
Character of the Year Sgt. Frank Woods, Call of Duty: Black Ops
Strongest Heroes of All Time
Best Original Game Red Dead Redemption N/A
Best Zombie Game Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare N/A
Best Dressed Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood N/A
Biggest Badass Kratos, God of War III N/A

2009 Awards

The 2009 VGAs was held on December 12, 2009, at the Nokia Event Deck in Los Angeles, California and is the only VGAs that did not feature a host. It opened with a trailer announcing the sequel to Batman Arkham Asylum. There were other exclusive looks at Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, UFC 2010 Undisputed, Halo: Reach, Tron: Evolution, Medal of Honor, Crackdown 2, Bonanza, Spec Ops: The Line, Rock Band 3, Deadliest Warrior: The Game, and True Crime. Samuel L. Jackson previewed LucasArts newest upcoming Star Wars game, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. In addition, Green Day: Rock Band was announced and accompanied with a trailer. Appearances were made by Stevie Wonder, the cast of MTV's Jersey Shore, Green Day, and Jack Black, with live music performances by Snoop Dogg and The Bravery.[16]

Award Winner Nominees
Game of the Year Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Studio of the Year Rocksteady Studios, Batman: Arkham Asylum
Best Independent Game Flower
Best Xbox 360 Game Left 4 Dead 2
Best PS3 Game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Best Wii Game New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Best PC Game Dragon Age: Origins
Best Handheld Game Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Best Shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Best Action Adventure Game Assassin's Creed II
Best RPG Dragon Age: Origins
Best Multiplayer Game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Best Fighting Game Street Fighter IV
Best Individual Sports Game UFC 2009 Undisputed
Best Team Sports Game NHL 10
Best Driving Game Forza Motorsport 3
Best Music Game The Beatles: Rock Band
Best Soundtrack DJ Hero
Best Original Score Halo 3: ODST
Best Graphics Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Best Game Based On A Movie/TV Show South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!
Best Performance By A Human Male Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Best Performance By A Human Female Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Best Cast X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Best Voice Jack Black for the voice of Eddie Riggs, Brütal Legend
Best Downloadable Game Shadow Complex
Best DLC Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
Best Comedy Game Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard N/A
Most Anticipated Game of 2010 God of War III

2008 Awards

The 2008 VGAs was held on December 14, 2008, at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.[17] Hosted by Jack Black, the show featured previews of Brütal Legend, Dante's Inferno, Fight Night Round 4, Gears of War 2 "Combustion" map pack announcement and trailer, God of War III, Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned, Mafia II, Pearl Jam's album Ten for Rock Band, Terminator Salvation, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Watchmen: The End Is Nigh. Musical performances included 50 Cent, The All-American Rejects, Weezer, and LL Cool J.[18][19]

Award Winner Nominees
Game of the Year Grand Theft Auto IV
Best Action Adventure Game Grand Theft Auto IV
Studio of the Year Media Molecule, LittleBigPlanet
Gamer God Will Wright, creator of The Sims and Spore N/A
Best Shooter Gears of War 2
Best Music Game Rock Band 2
Best Soundtrack Rock Band 2
Best RPG Fallout 3
Best Independent Game Fueld By Dew World of Goo
Best Team Sports Game NHL 09
Best Individual Sports Game Shaun White Snowboarding
Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
Big Name in the Game Male Kiefer Sutherland as Sgt. Roebuck, Call of Duty: World at War N/A
Big Name in the Game Female Jenny McCarthy as Special Agent Tanya Adams, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 N/A
Best Xbox 360 Game Gears of War 2
Best PS3 Game LittleBigPlanet
Best Wii Game Boom Blox
Best PC Game Left 4 Dead
Best Multiplayer Game Left 4 Dead
Best Fighting Game Soulcalibur IV
Best Handheld Game Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Best Driving Game Burnout Paradise
Best Graphics Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Best Original Score Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Best Male Voice Michael Hollick as Niko Bellic, Grand Theft Auto IV
Best Female Voice Debi Mae West as Meryl Silverburgh, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

2007 Awards

The 2007 VGAs aired December 9, 2007. Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, the winners were announced ahead of the event which was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The show featured performances by Foo Fighters, Kid Rock, and exclusive world video game premieres of Borderlands, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and TNA iMPACT!.[20]

Award Winner Nominees
Game of the Year BioShock
Studio of the Year Harmonix, Rock Band
Best Shooter Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Best RPG Mass Effect
Best Military Game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Best Individual Sports Game skate
Best Handheld Game The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Best Graphics Crysis
Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show The Simpsons Game
Best Rhythm Game Rock Band
Best Driving Game Colin McRae: Dirt
Best Action Game Super Mario Galaxy
Best Team Sports Game Madden NFL 08
Best Soundtrack Rock Band
Breakthrough Technology The Orange Box/Portal
Best Xbox 360 Game BioShock
Best Wii Game Super Mario Galaxy
Best PS3 Game Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Best PC Game The Orange Box
Best Original Score BioShock
Best Multiplayer Game Halo 3
Most Addictive Video Game Halo 3

2006 Awards

The 2006 VGAs aired December 13, 2006, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles and were hosted by Samuel L. Jackson. The show featured a world premiere of Blizzard Entertainment's opening cinematic movie for its highly anticipated expansion set, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. The event featured musical performances by Tenacious D and AFI and show appearances by 50 Cent, Eva Mendes, Sarah Silverman, Seth Green, Masi Oka, Hayden Panettiere, Brandon Routh, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tony Hawk, Michael Irvin, Method Man, Maria Menounos, Tyrese Gibson, Xzibit, James Gandolfini, Kurt Angle, among others. In character as Stewie Griffin and Tom Tucker from Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane served as the voice of the VGAs.[21][22]

Award Winner Nominees
Game of the Year The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Studio of the Year Epic Games, Gears of War
Cyber Vixen of the Year Alyx Vance, Half-Life 2: Episode One
  • Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: Legend
  • Princess Peach, Super Mario Bros.
  • Enrica, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent
  • Jen, Prey
Best Individual Sports Game Tony Hawk's Project 8
Best Team Sports Game NBA 2K7
Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Best Performance by a Human Male Patrick Stewart as Emperor Uriel Septim VII, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Best Supporting Male Performance James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, The Sopranos: Road to Respect
Best Performance by a Human Female Vida Guerra as Femme Fatale, Scarface: The World Is Yours
Best Supporting Female Performance Rachael Leigh Cook as Tifa Lockhart, Kingdom Hearts II
Best Cast Family Guy Video Game!
Best Song "Lights and Sounds" by Yellowcard, Burnout Revenge
  • "Loco Roco No Uta", Loco Roco
  • "Heavenly Star", Lumines 2
  • "Helicopter" by Bloc Party, Mark Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure and Burnout Revenge
  • "Summer Shudder" by AFI, Maddden NFL 07
Best Soundtrack Guitar Hero II
Best Original Score The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Best Driving Game Burnout Revenge
Most Addictive Game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Best Fighting Game Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Best Action Game Dead Rising
Best Shooter Gears of War
Best Military Game Company of Heroes
Best Graphics Gears of War
Best Handheld Game New Super Mario Bros.
Best Multiplayer Game Gears of War
Breakthrough Technology Wii
Best RPG The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Best PC Game Company of Heroes
Best Wireless Game SWAT Force
Critic's Choice (released after 11/15/2006 and before 12/31/2006) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Breakthrough Performance Rosario Dawson as Tina, Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure N/A
Character of the Year Jack Sparrow portrayed by Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow N/A

2005 Awards

The 2005 VGAs was held December 10, 2005, at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.[23] The first VGAs hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, the show featured world premieres of 24: The Game from 2K Games, Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run from Midway Games, Star Wars: Empire at War from LucasArts, and Scarface: The World Is Yours, as well as a 25th anniversary comic tribute to Pac-Man from Namco. Musical performances were by 50 Cent, Def Leppard, and Missy Elliott, and show appearances by Charlize Theron, Kiefer Sutherland, Jack Black, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Rock, Vin Diesel, Carson Daly, Donald Faison, Jaime Pressly, Josie Maran, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Carmen Electra, Natasha Bedingfield, and Dane Cook, among others.[24]

Award Winner Nominees
Game of the Year Resident Evil 4
Action Game of the Year God of War
Best Individual Sports Game Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Best Team Sports Game Madden NFL 06
Cyber Vixen of the Year Maria Menounos as Eva, James Bond 007: From Russia with Love
Best Game Based on a Movie Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Best Performance by a Human Male Jack Black as Carl Denham, Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Best Supporting Male Performance Christopher Walken as Gabriel Whitting, True Crime: New York City
Best Performance by a Human Female Charlize Theron as Æon Flux, Æon Flux
Best Supporting Female Performance Traci Lords as Madam Cassandra Hartz, True Crime: New York City
Best Original Song "Maybe We Crazy" by 50 Cent, 50 Cent: Bulletproof
Best Soundtrack Guitar Hero
Best Original Score We Love Katamari
Designer of the Year David Jaffe, God of War
Best Driving Game Burnout Revenge
Most Addictive Game World of Warcraft
Best Fighting Game Fight Night Round 2
Best First-Person Action F.E.A.R.
Best Military Game Call of Duty 2
Best Graphics Resident Evil 4
Best Handheld Game Lumines
Best Multiplayer Game Guild Wars
Best Breakthrough Technology PSP
Best RPG World of Warcraft
Best PC Game World of Warcraft
Best Wireless Game Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Best Cast Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie N/A

2004 Awards

The 2004 VGAs was held in Santa Monica, California on December 14, 2004, at the Barker Hangar and hosted by Snoop Dogg. The show featured exclusive world premiere game play and footage of Midway Games' Fear & Respect, The Godfather: The Game from John Singelton and Electronic Arts, and Need for Speed: Underground Rivals for the PlayStation Portable. Musical performances included Sum 41, Ludacris, and a special live performance by Snoop Dogg and the remaining members of The Doors performing "Riders on the Storm". Other performances included Snoop Dogg and Pharrell, Mötley Crüe, Busta Rhymes, and Method Man and Redman in the first-ever Def Jam: Fight For NY performance. Celebrity appearances included Brooke Burke, Samuel L. Jackson, Vin Diesel, Green Day, Giovanni Ribisi, Gabrielle Union, Tara Reid, Papa Roach, Tony Hawk, John Singleton, Danny Masterson, Frankie Muniz, Bai Ling, Ron Perlman, Bam Margera, Freddy Adu, Fabolous, Bobby Crosby, Barry Zito, and Michelle Rodriguez, among others.[25][26]

Award Winner Nominees
Game of the Year Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Best Game Based on a Movie The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Best Performance by a Human Female Brooke Burke as Rachel Teller, Need for Speed: Underground 2
Best Performance by a Human Male Samuel L. Jackson as Sergeant Frank Tenpenny, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Cyber Vixen of the Year BloodRayne, BloodRayne 2
  • Tina Armstrong, Dead or Alive Ultimate
  • Carmen Electra, Def Jam: Fight For NY
  • Luba Licious, Leisure Suit Larry: Magda Cum Laude
  • Rachel Teller (played by Brooke Burke), Need for Speed: Underground 2
Best Driving Game Burnout 3: Takedown
Best Sports Game Madden NFL 2005
Best Fighting Game Mortal Kombat: Deception
Best Action Game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Best First-Person Action Halo 2
Best Song in a Video Game "American Idiot" by Green Day, Madden NFL 2005
Best Soundtrack Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Designer of the Year Jason Jones and Bungie Studios, Halo 2
Best Military Game Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Best PC Game Half-Life 2
Best Wireless Game Might and Magic
  • CBS Sportsline Baseball 2004
  • Jamdat Sports NFL 2005
  • National Treasure
Best Graphics Half-Life 2
Best New Technology Nintendo DS
Best Handheld Metroid: Zero Mission
Best Massively Multiplayer Game City of Heroes
Best RPG Fable
Most Addictive Game (viewer's choice) Burnout 3: Takedown
Best Gaming Publication (fan favorite) Game Informer
Best Gaming Web Site (fan favorite) GameSpot

2003 Awards

The 2003 Spike Video Game Awards was the first video game award show to be hosted by Spike TV. It was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 2, 2003, and aired on December 4. The event was hosted by David Spade and featured appearances by Lil' Kim, Jaime Pressly, DMX, P.O.D., Orlando Jones, and Cedric the Entertainer.[27] The event also featured a WWE tag team wrestling match with the superstars Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Trish Stratus, and Victoria.[28][29]

Award Winner Nominees
Game of the Year Madden NFL 2004
Best Sports Game Tony Hawk's Underground
Best Action Game True Crime: Streets of LA
Best Animation Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
Best Game Based on a Movie Enter the Matrix
Best Driving Game NASCAR Thunder 2004
Best Music Def Jam Vendetta
Best Performance by a Human Ray Liotta as Tommy Vercetti, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Most Anticipated Halo 2
Most Addictive Soulcalibur II
Best PC Game Halo: Combat Evolved
Best Online Game Final Fantasy XI
Best Handheld Game Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Best Fighting Game WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain
Best First Person Action Call of Duty
Best Fantasy Game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Spike's Video Game Hall of Fame

Spike's Video Game Hall of Fame recognizes the video game "franchises throughout history that have brought the industry to where it is today" - Casey Patterson, executive producer of the VGAs and executive vice president of event production for Viacom Media Networks Entertainment Group. The only inductee was awarded at the ninth annual Spike Video Game Awards on December 10, 2011. The inaugural recipient was The Legend of Zelda franchise, with Shigeru Miyamoto accepting the award.[1]

Year Inductee
2011 The Legend of Zelda

Nomination

With the exception of the fan-voted "Most Anticipated Game", "Character of the Year", and a few other non-annual categories, the award nominees and winners are voted by an advisory council, featuring over 20 journalists from various media outlets. Fans, however, can vote online for which games they think should win each category.

VGX Advisory Council as of November 2013[30]
Member Position Publication
Andy McNamara Editor in Chief Game Informer
Ben Silverman Writer Yahoo! Games
Brian Crecente News Editor Polygon
Chris Grant Editor Polygon
Chris Kohler Games Editor Wired
Dale North Editor in Chief Destructoid
Darren Franich Staff Writer Entertainment Weekly
Francesca Reyes Editor in Chief Official Xbox Magazine
Geoff Keighley Host/Executive Producer GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley/Spike TV
Jeff Gerstmann Editor in Chief Giant Bomb
Jeremy Perish Editorial Director usgamer.net
Jerry Holkins Co-Creator Penny Arcade
Justin Calvert Executive Editor GameSpot
Logan Decker Editor in Chief PC Gamer
Lou Kesten Reviewer/Editor Associated Press
Ludwig Kietzmann Editor in Chief Joystiq
Mike Krahulik Co-Creator Penny Arcade
Mike Snider Entertainment Reporter USA Today
Russ Frushtick Senior Editor Polygon
Sophia Tong Editor in Chief GamesRadar
Stephen Totilo Deputy Editor Kotaku
Tal Blevins VP Games Content IGN
Tina Amini Coordinator Editor Kotaku

Reception

Video game journalism veteran Jeff Green has been vocal in his criticism of the Spike Video Game Awards. In his assessment of the 2010 VGAs, Green laments that Spike TV alienated viewers due to their decision to focus the awards on its own primary demographic, rather than the video game community at large. Green states that this leads to appearances by celebrities who "either didn't want to be or know why they were there."[31] 2011 VGA host Zachary Levi recognized this and prior to hosting the event, told MTV in an interview that, "I’m happy to work on the VGAs on Spike and make the network happy, but I want to be respectful to the community of gamers because I am one myself. And [with] the humor involved, I want it to be smart, I want it to be honest, and accurate."[11] Giant Bomb's Alex Navarro has also commented on the VGAs, questioning the importance of the awards themselves next to the VGA's focus on its exclusive reveals.[32]

The 2011 VGAs were given similar criticisms. Kotaku reported that VGA nominees Mark Hamill and Tara Strong were disappointed that they were present at the event but their respective categories were not present at the show, only finding out the results of the "Best Performance by a Human Male" and "Best Performance by a Human Female" awards after the show.[33] Wired.com writer Jason Schreier addressed Spike TV after the event in reference to food eating segments by Felicia Day and the host Zachary Levi having simulations of a sexual act performed on him. Schreier said, "It’s not hard to find the root of the problem here: You think we’re dumb. You think your audience is so stupid that they’ll be amused by YouTube rants and health potion gags. You think we get our jollies out of watching girls bite cupcakes off conveyor belts. You think videogame references make a good substitute for humor." Schreier also quoted Joystiq's Justin McElroy, who voiced his concern at many awards being shown together in a short montage. Praise was given for the handling of The Legend of Zelda's induction into the Hall of Fame including the video package of the franchise's releases and an appearance by creator Shigeru Miyamoto.[34]

The 2013 VGX received considerable negative press after airing;[35] much of the criticism was aimed at host McHale's insults towards the developers and the audience.[36][37][38][39]

Parodies

References

  1. 1 2 3 Spike Press Release (2011-11-16). "Spike Announces VGA Nominees & Honors "Legend Of Zelda" With First Ever Video Game Hall Of Fame Award". Spike. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
  2. 1 2 Samit Sarkar (November 15, 2013). "Spike Video Game Awards renamed VGX, set for Dec. 7". Polygon. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  3. "VGX About". Spike TV. Spike TV. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  4. 1 2 Takahashi, Dean. "Geoff Keighley unveils The Game Awards 2014 to replace the VGAs". Venture Beat. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  5. McWhertor, Michael (November 18, 2013). "Spike VGX 2013 award nominees announced". Polygon. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  6. Spike, Staff (2 December 2013). "EXCLUSIVE "SOUTH PARK" AND "GRAND THEFT AUTO V" CONTENT TO PREMIERE AT VGX 2013". Spike.com. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  7. Jones, Elton. "VGX 2013: The Full List of Video Game Award Winners". heavy.com.
  8. Jones, Elton (2013-11-20). "VGX 2013 Video Game Award Categories and Nominations Officially Announced". heavy.com.
  9. Taormina, Anthony (November 15, 2012). "2012 Spike Video Game Awards Nominees Announced". Game Rant. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  10. Spike TV (November 29, 2012). "VGA Hosts From Past 10 Years to Join VGA Ten". spike.com. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  11. 1 2 Webb, Charles (2011-12-05). "Spike VGAs Interview: Meet Your Host, Zachary Levi". MTV. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  12. VGA (2011-12-06). "NFL Blitz Cover Athlete To Be Determined Live By VGA Fans". Spike.com. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
  13. "Spike TV Announces 2011 "Video Game Awards" Winners". PR Newswire. December 10, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  14. "Solo Violinist Performs Halo Music at 2010 Video Game Awards in LA". Diana Yukawa. December 18, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  15. "Spike TV Announces 2010 'Video Game Awards' Winners". PR Newswire. December 11, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  16. "Spike TV Announces 2009 'Video Game Awards' Winners". PR Newswire. December 13, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  17. "Spike 2008 VGA Results". Blend Games. 2008-12-15. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  18. Eric Bush. "Spike TV Announces 2008 Video Game Awards Winners". Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  19. 1UP Staff (December 15, 2008). "Spike Video Game Awards 2008 Trailer and News Round-Up". 1UP.com. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  20. "Spike TV VGA 2007 Winners Announced". Digital Tech News. 2007-12-08. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  21. "Spike TV 2006 Video Game Awards Breaks the Mold". LAs The Place.com. 2009-12-15. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  22. "Spike TV Announces 2006 Video Game Awards Winners". PR Newswire. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  23. "Spike TV VGA 2005 Honors Activision Games". TeamXbox. 2005-11-23. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  24. "Winners of Spike TV Video Game Awards 2005". starplus.com. November 21, 2005. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  25. "2004 VGA". Video Game Awards 2004 Award Winners by Spike TV. Gamespy.com. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  26. "Spike TV Announces Winners of 'Video Game Awards 2004'". PR Newswire. December 14, 2004. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  27. Lewinson, Tim (2003-12-03). "Unintentional Hilarity at Spike TV". Gaming Age. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  28. "Spike TV's 2003 Video Game Awards". The Nbrid Network. December 5, 2003. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  29. "Video Game Awards The Results". megagames. December 5, 2003. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  30. "VGX Award Advisory Council Members". Spike.com. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  31. Green, Jeff (2010-12-12). "A Rant about the Spike VGAs". Greenspeak. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  32. Navarro, Alex (2011-11-03). "2011 Spike Video Game Awards Will Award Video Games With Awards, Also Announce Things". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  33. Totilo, Stephen (2011-12-11). "Mark Hamill, Tara Strong (aka The Joker and Harley Quinn) Both Miffed about the VGAs". Kotaku. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
  34. Schreier, Jason (2011-12-11). "An Open Letter To The Spike VGAs". jasonschreier.com. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
  35. http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Yes-Joel-McHale-Saved-Train-Wreck-Was-Spike-VGX-Awards-60945.html
  36. http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-point-the-spike-vgx-disaster/2300-6416530/
  37. http://attackofthefanboy.com/news/spike-vgx-disappoints-joel-mchale-flops/
  38. http://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2013/12/13/spike-vgx-falls-flat-awards-show/
  39. http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2013/12/09/vgx-and-how-it-set-the-games-industry-back/
  40. MADtv Episode #1121, Air Date: May 13, 2006.

External links

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