TheSpike Video Game Awards (in shortVGAs, known as theVGX for the final show) was an annualaward show hosted by American television networkSpike from 2003 that recognized the bestcomputer andvideo games of the year. Produced byGameTrailers TV'sGeoff Keighley, the show featured preview trailers for upcoming games, live music performances and appearances by popular performers in music, movies, and television.

Spike Video Game Awards
Awarded for	Outstanding achievements in thevideo game industry
Location	Santa Monica, California /Las Vegas, Nevada
Country	United States
First award	December 3, 2003; 21 years ago (2003-12-03)
Website	http://www.spike.com/event/vga

The VGAs was held at various locations in Los Angeles andSanta Monica, California as well asLas Vegas, Nevada. Spike's onlyVideo Game Hall of Fame award, given toThe Legend of Zelda, was awarded at the 2011 awards show.^[1]

On November 15, 2013, Spike announced a new format under the nameVGX, 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]

In November 10, 2014, Keighley announced a new awards show,the Game Awards, dropping the support from Spike.^[4]

The 2013 awards, the final awards show, was rebranded asVGX and held on December 7, 2013, and was hosted byJoel 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 onXbox One,Xbox 360,PlayStation 3,Twitch,Steam,iOS, andAndroid devices, as well as onGameTrailers.com and the websites of Spike,Comedy Central, MTV, MTV2, andBET.^[5] As with previous years, the show featured exclusive world premieres of game demos and trailers. The 2013 VGX premieres includedTelltale Games' andGearbox Software's collaborationTales from the Borderlands,Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (anXbox One andPlayStation 4 port with graphical updates and all DLC included),Remedy Entertainment'sAgents of Storm for iOS, Telltale Games'Game of Thrones, and independent developerHello Games'No Man's Sky. The 2013 show also featured reveals ofTitanfall,Thief,Quantum Break,South Park: The Stick of Truth,Broken Age,Dying Light,Tom Clancy's The Division, andThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.Nintendo of America presidentReggie Fils-Aimé demoed an upcomingWii U game,Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, andRockstar Games worked with the production team to produce a musical performance of themusic ofGrand Theft Auto V.^[6]

The 2012 VGAs (promoted asVGA 10 for the tenth anniversary) was held on December 7, 2012, atSony Pictures Studios inCulver 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 onXbox 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 withXbox SmartGlass devices got a unique second-screen experience that updated in real time alongside the show content. Additionally, Spike TV andEntertainment 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 includeNaughty Dog'sThe Last of Us,Epic Games'Gears of War: Judgment,Obsidian Entertainment'sSouth Park: The Stick of Truth,Konami'sCastlevania: Lords of Shadow 2,Irrational Games'BioShock Infinite,Crystal Dynamics'Tomb Raider,Ubisoft'sAssassin's Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington, and343 Industries'Halo 4: Spartan Ops. Two new games were announced, includingDark Souls II byFromSoftware, and a new game calledThe Phantom Pain (later revealed to beMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain). The event also had appearances from all past hosts of the VGAs exceptDavid Spade. The event featured musical performances byLinkin Park,Tenacious D,Gustavo Santaolalla andWolfgang Gartner.^[10]

The 2011 VGAs was held Saturday, December 10, 2011, at theSony Pictures Studios inCulver City, California, hosted byZachary Levi.^[11] The awards previewed world premieres ofTom 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 gameThe Last of Us developed byNaughty Dog,Command & Conquer: Generals 2 fromBioWare Victory, andFortnite fromEpic Games. New trailers for bothHitman: Absolution andMass Effect 3 were aired during the show, as well as a pre-show announcement forTekken Tag Tournament 2.Mark Burnett was the Executive Producer for the event, and for the first time, the VGAs aired live onMTV 2 (US),Spike.com (US) andGinx 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 honoredThe Legend of Zelda franchise with its first ever "Video Game Hall of Fame Award".^[1] Another unique award at the 2011 VGAs was theNFL 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 theEA Sports game,NFL Blitz.^[12] Appearances were byCharlie 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 starsEddie Alvarez andMichael Chandler,Blake Anderson,Adam Devine,Anders Holm, and game designersCliff Bleszinski ofEpic Games andHideo Kojima ofKonami. Musical performances were byThe Black Keys andDeadmau5.^[13]

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 wasNeil Patrick Harris. Unlike previous years, all the awards were not awarded during the show. Several new games were announced which includeBioWare's announcement ofMass Effect 3,Prototype 2,Insane from acclaimed movie directorGuillermo del Toro,The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,Mortal Kombat featuringKratos,Resistance 3,Portal 2,SSX: Deadly Descents, andForza Motorsport 4.Batman: Arkham City had anotherCGI trailer debut and the first trailer ofUncharted 3: Drake's Deception aired during the awards. Appearances includedAnnaLynne McCord,Thor: God of Thunder video game starChris Hemsworth,Dane Cook,Olivia Munn,Dominic Monaghan,Michael Chiklis, Academy Award nominated film director Guillermo del Toro,Halo: Reach star and VGA nomineeNathan Fillion,Nick Swardson,Tony Hawk, and the cast from the hit seriesIt's Always Sunny In Philadelphia,Danny DeVito,Charlie Day,Glenn Howerton,Kaitlin Olson, andRob McElhenney. Musical performances included award-winning violinistDiana Yukawa,^[14]My Chemical Romance, andJosé González. The show featured use of ground breaking augmented reality technology, conceived byDone and Dusted; withLee Lodge, in partnership withWeider Design,Full Mental Jacket, andOrad.^[15]

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 thesequel toBatman: Arkham Asylum. There were other exclusive looks atPrince 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, andTrue Crime.Samuel L. Jackson previewedLucasArts newest upcomingStar Wars game,Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. In addition,Green Day: Rock Band was announced and accompanied with a trailer. Appearances were made byStevie Wonder, the cast of MTV'sJersey Shore,Green Day, andJack Black, with live music performances bySnoop Dogg andThe Bravery.^[16]

The 2008 VGAs was held on December 14, 2008, at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.^[17] Hosted byJack Black, the show featured previews ofBrütal 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 albumTen forRock Band,Terminator Salvation,Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, andWatchmen: The End Is Nigh. Musical performances included50 Cent,The All-American Rejects,Weezer, andLL Cool J.^[18][19]

The 2007 VGAs aired December 9, 2007. Hosted bySamuel L. Jackson, the winners were announced ahead of the event which was held at theMandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The show featured performances byFoo Fighters,Kid Rock, and exclusive world video game premieres ofBorderlands,Gran Turismo 5 Prologue,Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, andTNA iMPACT!.^[21]

The 2006 VGAs aired December 13, 2006, at theGalen Center in Los Angeles and were hosted bySamuel L. Jackson. The show featured a world premiere ofBlizzard Entertainment's opening cinematic movie for its highly anticipated expansion set,World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. The event featured musical performances byTenacious D andAFI and show appearances by50 Cent,Eva Mendes,Sarah Silverman,Seth Green,Masi Oka,Hayden Panettiere,Yellowcard,Brandon Routh,Rachael Leigh Cook,Tony Hawk,Michael Irvin,Method Man,Maria Menounos,Tyrese Gibson,Xzibit,James Gandolfini,Kurt Angle, among others. In character asStewie Griffin andTom Tucker fromFamily Guy,Seth MacFarlane served as the voice of the VGAs.^[22][23]

The 2005 VGAs was held December 10, 2005, at theGibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.^[24] The first VGAs hosted bySamuel L. Jackson, the show featured world premieres of24: The Game from2K Games,Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run fromMidway Games,Star Wars: Empire at War fromLucasArts, andScarface: The World Is Yours, as well as a 25th anniversary comic tribute toPac-Man fromNamco. Musical performances were by50 Cent,Def Leppard, andMissy Elliott, and show appearances byCharlize 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, andDane Cook, among others.^[25]

The 2004 VGAs was held inSanta Monica,California on December 14, 2004, at the Barker Hangar and hosted bySnoop Dogg. The show featured exclusive world premiere game play and footage ofMidway Games'Fear & Respect,The Godfather: The Game fromJohn Singleton andElectronic Arts, andNeed for Speed: Underground Rivals for thePlayStation Portable. Musical performances includedSum 41,Ludacris, and a special live performance by Snoop Dogg and the remaining members ofThe Doors performing "Riders on the Storm". Other performances included Snoop Dogg andPharrell,Mötley Crüe,Busta Rhymes, andMethod Man andRedman in the first-everDef Jam: Fight For NY performance. Celebrity appearances includedBrooke 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, andMichelle Rodriguez, among others.^[26][27]

The 2003 Spike Video Game Awards was the first video game award show to be hosted by Spike TV. It was held at theMGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 2, 2003, and aired on December 4. The event was hosted byDavid Spade and featured appearances byLil' Kim,Jaime Pressly,DMX,P.O.D.,Orlando Jones, andCedric the Entertainer.^[28] The event also featured aWWE tag team wrestling match with the superstarsRey Mysterio,Chris Jericho,Trish Stratus, andVictoria.^[29][30]

Spike's Video Game Hall of Fame was established to recognize 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, due to the award show ending in 2013, was awarded at the ninth annual Spike Video Game Awards on December 10, 2011. The inaugural, and subsequently only, recipient wasThe Legend of Zelda franchise.Shigeru Miyamoto accepted the award.^[1]

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.

Video game journalism veteranJeff 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."^[32] 2011 VGA host Zachary Levi recognized this and prior to hosting the event, toldMTV 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.^[33]

The 2011 VGAs were given similar criticisms.Kotaku reported that VGA nomineesMark Hamill andTara 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.^[34]Wired.com writer Jason Schreier addressed Spike TV after the event in reference to food eating segments byFelicia Day and the host Zachary Levi having simulations of asexual 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 video game references make a good substitute for humor." Schreier also quotedJoystiq'sJustin McElroy, who voiced his concern at many awards being shown together in a short montage. Praise was given for the handling ofThe Legend of Zelda's induction into the Hall of Fame including the video package of the franchise's releases and an appearance by creatorShigeru Miyamoto.^[35]

The 2013 VGX received considerable negative press after airing;^[36] much of the criticism was aimed at host McHale's insults towards the developers and the audience.^{[37][38][39][40]}

• The VideoMADtv, highlighting the fictional 1st Annual Video Game Awards on June 21, 1977, hosted byJoe Namath (played byMichael McDonald) andFarrah Fawcett (played byArden Myrin), musical guestThe Jackson 5, and award presenterMark Spitz (played byIke Barinholtz).Pong andAsteroids were the only video games nominated for all of the awards presented, even thoughAsteroids wasn't released in the arcade until 1979. The categories shown in the sketch were "Best Graphics in a Video Game" (Asteroids wins), and "Most Realistic Sound in a Video Game" (Pong andAsteroids win in a tie).Bobby Lee accepts an award as a designer ofAsteroids.Space Invaders is shown to display the future of video games, although it was released beforeAsteroids in 1978.^[41]

• VGX 2013
• Every VGA Winner from Years Past