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. 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
FromSoftware, 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.
2011 awards The 2011 VGAs was held Saturday, December 10, 2011, at the
Sony Pictures Studios in
Culver City, California, hosted by
Zachary Levi. 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. 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.
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 filmmaker
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,
My Chemical Romance, and
José González. The show featured use of augmented reality technology, conceived by
Done and Dusted; with Lee Lodge, in partnership with Weider Design, Full Mental Jacket, and Orad.
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.
2008 awards The 2008 VGAs was held on December 14, 2008, at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. 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.
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!''.
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,
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 as
Stewie Griffin and
Tom Tucker from
Family Guy,
Seth MacFarlane served as the voice of the VGAs.
2005 awards The 2005 VGAs was held December 10, 2005, at the
Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. 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.
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 Singleton 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.
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 both
Funkmaster Flex and
David Spade. It also featured appearances by
Lil' Kim,
Jaime Pressly,
DMX,
P.O.D.,
Orlando Jones, and
Cedric the Entertainer. The event also featured a
WWE tag team wrestling match with the superstars
Rey Mysterio,
Chris Jericho,
Trish Stratus, and
Victoria. ==Spike's Video Game Hall of Fame==