Spike Video Game Awards

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

The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by GameTrailers TV's Geoff Keighley, the show featured preview trailers for upcoming games, live music performances and appearances by popular performers in music, movies, and television.

The VGAs was held at various locations in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California as well as Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 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]

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

VGX

2013 awards

The 2013 awards, the final awards show, was 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-Aimé 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	BioShock Infinite Super Mario 3D World The Last of Us Tomb Raider
Studio of the Year	Naughty Dog, The Last of Us	Irrational Games, BioShock Infinite Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto V The Fullbright Company, Gone Home
Character of the Year	The Lutece Twins, BioShock Infinite	Lara Croft, Tomb Raider Trevor Philips, Grand Theft Auto V Naiee and Nyaa, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Best Shooter	BioShock Infinite	Battlefield 4 Call of Duty: Ghosts Metro: Last Light
Best Action-Adventure Game	Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag	The Last of Us Tomb Raider Grand Theft Auto V
Best Sports Game	NBA 2K14	FIFA 14 MLB 13: The Show NHL 14
Best Independent Game	Gone Home	Kentucky Route Zero Papers, Please The Stanley Parable
Best RPG	Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch	Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Fire Emblem Awakening Pokémon X/Y
Best Fighting Game	Injustice: Gods Among Us	Divekick Killer Instinct Tekken Revolution
Best Driving Game	Forza Motorsport 5	F1 2013 Grid 2 Need for Speed Rivals
Best DLC	Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon	Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall Mass Effect 3: Citadel
Best Xbox Game	Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons	BioShock Infinite Grand Theft Auto V Tomb Raider
Best PlayStation Game	The Last of Us	Grand Theft Auto V Rayman Legends Tomb Raider
Best Nintendo Game	Super Mario 3D World	Pikmin 3 Rayman Legends The Wonderful 101
Best PC Game	Gone Home	Battlefield 4 Papers, Please The Stanley Parable
Best Handheld Game	The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds	Animal Crossing: New Leaf Pokémon X/Y Tearaway
Best Casual Game	Animal Crossing: New Leaf	Disney Infinity Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time Skylanders: Swap Force
Best Mobile Game	Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time	Angry Birds Star Wars Infinity Blade III Ridiculous Fishing
Best Voice Actor	Troy Baker as Joel, The Last of Us	Troy Baker as Booker DeWitt, BioShock Infinite Steven Ogg as Trevor Philips, Grand Theft Auto V Willem Dafoe as Nathan Dawkins, Beyond: Two Souls
Best Voice Actress	Ashley Johnson as Ellie, The Last of Us	Courtnee Draper as Elizabeth, BioShock Infinite Camilla Luddington as Lara Croft, Tomb Raider Elliot Page as Jodie Holmes, Beyond: Two Souls
Best Soundtrack	Grand Theft Auto V	BioShock Infinite Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch The Last of Us
Best Song in a Game	"Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" performed by Courtnee Draper and Troy Baker, BioShock Infinite	"A.D.H.D." by Kendrick Lamar, Grand Theft Auto V "Sleepwalking" by The Chain Gang of 1974, Grand Theft Auto V "Survival" by Eminem, Call of Duty: Ghosts
Most Anticipated Game	Titanfall	South Park: The Stick of Truth Destiny Watch Dogs The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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 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.^[10]

Award	Winner	Nominees
Game of the Year	The Walking Dead: The Game	Assassin's Creed III Dishonored Journey Mass Effect 3
Studio of the Year	Telltale Games, The Walking Dead: The Game	343 Industries, Halo 4 Arkane Studios, Dishonored Gearbox Software, Borderlands 2
Best Xbox 360 Game	Halo 4	Assassin's Creed III Borderlands 2 Dishonored
Best PS3 Game	Journey	Assassin's Creed III Borderlands 2 Dishonored
Best Wii/Wii U Game	New Super Mario Bros. U	The Last Story Xenoblade Chronicles ZombiU
Best PC Game	XCOM: Enemy Unknown	Diablo III Guild Wars 2 Torchlight II
Best Handheld/Mobile Game	Sound Shapes	Gravity Rush LittleBigPlanet PS Vita New Super Mario Bros. 2
Best Shooter	Borderlands 2	Call of Duty: Black Ops II Halo 4 Max Payne 3
Best Action Adventure Game	Dishonored	Assassin's Creed III Darksiders II Sleeping Dogs
Best RPG	Mass Effect 3	Diablo III Torchlight II Xenoblade Chronicles
Best Multi-player Game	Borderlands 2	Call of Duty: Black Ops II Guild Wars 2 Halo 4
Best Individual Sports Game	SSX	Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 WWE '13
Best Team Sports Game	NBA 2K13	FIFA Soccer 13 Madden NFL 13 NHL 13
Best Driving Game	Need for Speed: Most Wanted	DiRT: Showdown F1 2012 Forza Horizon
Best Fighting Game	Persona 4 Arena	Dead or Alive 5 Street Fighter X Tekken Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Best Independent Game	Journey	Dust: An Elysian Tail Fez Mark of the Ninja
Best Adapted Video Game	The Walking Dead: The Game	Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
Best Song in a Game	"Cities" by Beck, Sound Shapes	"Castle of Glass" by Linkin Park, Medal of Honor: Warfighter "I Was Born for This" by Austin Wintory, Journey "Tears" by Health, Max Payne 3
Best Original Score	Journey	Call of Duty: Black Ops II Halo 4 Max Payne 3
Best Graphics	Halo 4	Assassin's Creed III Dishonored Journey
Best Performance by a Human Male	Dameon Clarke as Handsome Jack, Borderlands 2	Dave Fennoy as Lee Everett, The Walking Dead: The Game James McCaffrey as Max Payne, Max Payne 3 Nolan North as Captain Martin Walker, Spec Ops: The Line
Best Performance by a Human Female	Melissa Hutchison as Clementine, The Walking Dead: The Game	Emma Stone as Amanda Cartwright, Sleeping Dogs Jen Taylor as Cortana, Halo 4 Jennifer Hale as Commander Shepard (female version), Mass Effect 3
Best Downloadable Game	The Walking Dead: The Game	Fez Journey Sound Shapes
Best Social Game	You Don't Know Jack	Draw Something Marvel: Avengers Alliance SimCity Social
Best DLC	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard	Mass Effect 3 – Leviathan Borderlands 2 – Mechromancer Pack Portal 2 – Perpetual Testing Initiative
Most Anticipated Game	Grand Theft Auto V	BioShock Infinite South Park: The Stick of Truth The Last of Us Tomb Raider
Character of the Year	Claptrap, Borderlands 2	Connor, Assassin's Creed III Commander Shepard, Mass Effect 3 Master Chief, Halo 4 Raul Menendez, Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Best Game of the Decade	Half-Life 2	Batman: Arkham City BioShock The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Mass Effect 2 Portal Red Dead Redemption Shadow of the Colossus Wii Sports World of Warcraft

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	Batman: Arkham City The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Portal 2 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
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 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	Naughty Dog, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Rocksteady Studios, Batman: Arkham City Valve, Portal 2
Best Xbox 360 Game	Batman: Arkham City	Forza Motorsport 4 Gears of War 3 Portal 2
Best PS3 Game	Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception	inFAMOUS 2 Killzone 3 LittleBigPlanet 2
Best Wii Game	The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword	Epic Mickey Kirby's Return to Dream Land Lost in Shadow
Best PC Game	Portal 2	Battlefield 3 Minecraft The Witcher 2
Best Handheld/Mobile Game	Super Mario 3D Land	Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Infinity Blade Jetpack Joyride
Best Shooter	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3	Battlefield 3 Gears of War 3 RAGE
Best Action Adventure Game	Batman: Arkham City	Assassin's Creed: Revelations The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Best RPG	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	Dark Souls Deus Ex: Human Revolution Dragon Age II
Best Multiplayer	Portal 2	Battlefield 3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Gears of War 3
Best Individual Sports Game	Fight Night Champion	Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters Top Spin 4 Virtua Tennis 4
Best Team Sports Game	NBA 2K12	FIFA Soccer 12 NHL 12 MLB 11: The Show
Best Driving Game	Forza Motorsport 4	DiRT 3 Driver: San Francisco Need for Speed: The Run
Best Fighting Game	Mortal Kombat	The King of Fighters XIII Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds WWE All Stars
Best Motion Game	The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword	Child of Eden Dance Central 2 The Gunstringer
Best Independent Game	Minecraft	Bastion Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP The Binding of Isaac
Best Adapted Video Game	Batman: Arkham City	Back to the Future: The Game Captain America: Super Soldier LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
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	Batman: Arkham City Deus Ex: Human Revolution Portal 2
Best Graphics	Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception	Batman: Arkham City LA Noire RAGE
Best Performance by a Human Male	Stephen Merchant as Wheatley, Portal 2	J.K. Simmons as Cave Johnson, Portal 2 Mark Hamill as The Joker, Batman: Arkham City Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Best Performance by a Human Female	Ellen McLain as GLaDOS, Portal 2	Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Emily Rose as Elena Fisher, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Tara Strong as Harley Quinn, Batman: Arkham City
Best Downloadable Game	Bastion	Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet Stacking Iron Brigade
Best DLC	Portal 2: Peer Review	Fallout: New Vegas – Old World Blues Mass Effect 2: Arrival Mortal Kombat: Freddy Krueger
Most Anticipated Game	Mass Effect 3	BioShock Infinite Diablo 3 Halo 4 The Last Guardian
GameTrailers.com Trailer of the Year	Assassin's Creed: Revelations, E3 2011 Trailer	Batman: Arkham City, Hugo Strange Reveal Trailer Dark Souls, Ignite 11 Debut Trailer Dead Island, GDC 11 Cinematic Trailer Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Purity First Infomercial The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, In-Game Debut Trailer Hitman: Absolution, E3 2011 Trailer Prey 2, E3 2011 Trailer Tomb Raider, E3 2011 Trailer Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, E3 2011 Trailer
Character of the Year	The Joker, Batman: Arkham City	Nathan Drake, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Marcus Fenix, Gears of War 3 Wheatley, Portal 2
NFL Blitz Cover Athlete	Ray Rice	Roddy White Patrick Willis

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	Call of Duty: Black Ops God of War III Halo: Reach Mass Effect 2
Studio of the Year	BioWare, Mass Effect 2	Blizzard Entertainment, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Bungie, Halo: Reach Rockstar San Diego, Red Dead Redemption
Best Xbox 360 Game	Mass Effect 2	Alan Wake Fable III Halo: Reach
Best PS3 Game	God of War III	Heavy Rain ModNation Racers Red Dead Redemption
Best Wii Game	Super Mario Galaxy 2	Donkey Kong Country Returns Kirby's Epic Yarn Metroid: Other M
Best PC Game	StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty	Fallout: New Vegas Mass Effect 2 Sid Meier's Civilization V
Best Handheld Game	God of War: Ghost of Sparta	Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Professor Layton and the Unwound Future Super Scribblenauts
Best Shooter	Call of Duty: Black Ops	Battlefield: Bad Company 2 BioShock 2 Halo: Reach
Best Action Adventure Game	Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood	God of War III Red Dead Redemption Super Mario Galaxy 2
Best RPG	Mass Effect 2	Fable III Fallout: New Vegas Final Fantasy XIII
Best Multiplayer	Halo: Reach	Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Call of Duty: Black Ops StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
Best Individual Sports Game	Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11	EA Sports MMA Shaun White Skateboarding UFC Undisputed 2010
Best Team Sports Game	NBA 2K11	FIFA 11 Madden NFL 11 MLB 10: The Show
Best Driving Game	Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit	Blur ModNation Racers Split/Second
Best Music Game	Rock Band 3	Dance Central DJ Hero 2 Def Jam Rapstar
Best Soundtrack	DJ Hero 2	Guitar Hero 5 Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Rock Band 3
Best Song in a Game	"Far Away" by José González, Red Dead Redemption	"Basket Case" by Green Day, Green Day: Rock Band "Black Rain" by Soundgarden, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock "GoldenEye" by Nicole Scherzinger, GoldenEye 007 (2010) "Won't Back Down" by Eminem, Call of Duty: Black Ops "Replay/Rude Boy Mashup" by Iyaz/Rihanna, DJ Hero 2
Best Original Score	Red Dead Redemption	God of War III Halo: Reach James Bond 007: Blood Stone Mass Effect 2
Best Graphics	God of War III	Heavy Rain James Bond 007: Blood Stone Red Dead Redemption Kirby's Epic Yarn
Best Adapted Video Game	Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game	Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Transformers: War for Cybertron
Best Performance by a Human Male	Neil Patrick Harris as Peter Parker/Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions	Daniel Craig as James Bond, James Bond 007: Blood Stone/Goldeneye 007 (2010 video game) Gary Oldman as Sergeant Reznov, Call of Duty: Black Ops John Cleese as Jasper, Fable III Martin Sheen as the Illusive Man, Mass Effect 2 Nathan Fillion as Sergeant Edward Buck, Halo: Reach Rob Wiethoff as John Marston, Red Dead Redemption Sam Worthington as Alex Mason, Call of Duty: Black Ops
Best Performance by a Human Female	Tricia Helfer as Sarah Kerrigan, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty	Judi Dench as M, James Bond 007: Blood Stone Danica Patrick as Herself, Blur Emmanuelle Chriqui as The Numbers Lady, Call of Duty: Black Ops Felicia Day as Veronica Santangelo, Fallout: New Vegas Jennifer Hale as Commander Shepard (female version), Mass Effect 2 Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Yvonne Strahovski as Miranda Lawson, Mass Effect 2
Best Downloadable Game	Costume Quest	Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Monday Night Combat Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game
Best DLC	Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare	BioShock 2: Minerva's Den Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker
Best Independent Game	Limbo	Joe Danger Super Meat Boy The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom
Most Anticipated Game	Portal 2	Batman: Arkham City BioShock Infinite Gears of War 3
Character of the Year	Sgt. Frank Woods, Call of Duty: Black Ops	Kratos, God of War III John Marston, Red Dead Redemption Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Strongest Heroes of All Time	Master Chief, Halo series Samus Aran, Metroid series Marcus Fenix, Gears of War series	Mario, Super Mario series Kratos, God of War series Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid series
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	Assassin's Creed II Batman: Arkham Asylum Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Left 4 Dead 2
Studio of the Year	Rocksteady Studios, Batman: Arkham Asylum	Infinity Ward, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Naughty Dog, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Valve, Left 4 Dead 2
Best Independent Game	Flower	Osmos Splosion Man Trials HD
Best Xbox 360 Game	Left 4 Dead 2	Batman: Arkham Asylum Forza Motorsport 3 Halo 3: ODST
Best PS3 Game	Uncharted 2: Among Thieves	inFAMOUS Killzone 2 Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Best Wii Game	New Super Mario Bros. Wii	MadWorld Punch-Out!! Wii Sports Resort
Best PC Game	Dragon Age: Origins	Left 4 Dead 2 Plants vs. Zombies The Sims 3
Best Handheld Game	Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars	Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box Scribblenauts
Best Shooter	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2	Halo 3: ODST Killzone 2 Left 4 Dead 2
Best Action Adventure Game	Assassin's Creed II	Batman: Arkham Asylum Brütal Legend Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Best RPG	Dragon Age: Origins	Borderlands Demon's Souls Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Best Multiplayer Game	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2	Borderlands Halo 3: ODST Left 4 Dead 2
Best Fighting Game	Street Fighter IV	BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny Tekken 6
Best Individual Sports Game	UFC 2009 Undisputed	Fight Night Round 4 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Wii Sports Resort
Best Team Sports Game	NHL 10	Madden NFL 10 NBA 2K10 FIFA 10
Best Driving Game	Forza Motorsport 3	Dirt 2 Gran Turismo PSP Need for Speed: Shift
Best Music Game	The Beatles: Rock Band	DJ Hero Guitar Hero 5 LEGO Rock Band
Best Soundtrack	DJ Hero	Brütal Legend Guitar Hero 5 The Beatles: Rock Band
Best Original Score	Halo 3: ODST	Assassin's Creed II Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Best Graphics	Uncharted 2: Among Thieves	Batman: Arkham Asylum Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Killzone 2
Best Game Based On A Movie/TV Show	South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!	Ghostbusters: The Video Game The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition
Best Performance By A Human Male	Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, X-Men Origins: Wolverine	Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman, Ghostbusters: The Video Game Samuel L. Jackson as Afro Samurai / Ninja Ninja, Afro Samurai Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Vin Diesel as Richard B. Riddick, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
Best Performance By A Human Female	Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	Eliza Dushku as Rubi Malone, WET Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman, Assassin's Creed II Tricia Helfer as Dare, Halo 3: ODST
Best Cast	X-Men Origins: Wolverine	Brütal Legend Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard Ghostbusters: The Video Game South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!
Best Voice	Jack Black for the voice of Eddie Riggs, Brütal Legend	Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn, Batman: Arkham Asylum Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Mark Hamill as The Joker, Batman: Arkham Asylum Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Best Downloadable Game	Shadow Complex	Battlefield 1943 Fat Princess Plants vs. Zombies
Best DLC	Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony	Fallout 3: Broken Steel Fallout 3: Point Lookout Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned
Best Comedy Game	Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard	N/A
Most Anticipated Game of 2010	God of War III	BioShock 2 Mass Effect 2 StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

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[20]
Game of the Year	Grand Theft Auto IV	Fallout 3 Gears of War 2 LittleBigPlanet Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Best Action Adventure Game	Grand Theft Auto IV	Dead Space Mirror's Edge Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Studio of the Year	Media Molecule, LittleBigPlanet	Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto IV Harmonix, Rock Band 2 Bethesda Game Studios, Fallout 3
Gamer God	Will Wright, creator of The Sims and Spore	N/A
Best Shooter	Gears of War 2	Far Cry 2 Resistance 2 Left 4 Dead
Best Music Game	Rock Band 2	Guitar Hero World Tour Wii Music SingStar
Best Soundtrack	Rock Band 2	Grand Theft Auto IV Guitar Hero World Tour LittleBigPlanet
Best RPG	Fallout 3	Fable II Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning The World Ends with You
Best Independent Game Fueled By Dew	World of Goo	PixelJunk Eden Braid Audiosurf
Best Team Sports Game	NHL 09	Madden NFL 09 NBA 2K9 FIFA Soccer 09
Best Individual Sports Game	Shaun White Snowboarding	Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 Wii Fit Skate It
Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show	Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures	Quantum of Solace Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Naruto: The Broken Bond
Big Name in the Game Male	Kiefer Sutherland as Sgt. Roebuck, Call of Duty: World at War	Ricky Gervais as Himself, Grand Theft Auto IV Liam Neeson as Father, Fallout 3 Daniel Craig as James Bond, 007: Quantum of Solace
Big Name in the Game Female	Jenny McCarthy as Special Agent Tanya Adams, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3	Liv Tyler as Betty Ross, The Incredible Hulk Eliza Dushku as Shaundi, Saints Row 2 Judi Dench as M, 007: Quantum of Solace
Best Xbox 360 Game	Gears of War 2	Fable II Fallout 3 Grand Theft Auto IV
Best PS3 Game	LittleBigPlanet	Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Resistance 2 Grand Theft Auto IV
Best Wii Game	Boom Blox	No More Heroes Wii Fit Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Best PC Game	Left 4 Dead	Spore Crysis Warhead Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Best Multiplayer Game	Left 4 Dead	Gears of War 2 Resistance 2 Call of Duty: World at War
Best Fighting Game	Soulcalibur IV	Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Super Smash Bros. Brawl Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
Best Handheld Game	Professor Layton and the Curious Village	God of War: Chains of Olympus Patapon Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Best Driving Game	Burnout Paradise	Pure Midnight Club: Los Angeles Mario Kart Wii
Best Graphics	Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots	Sonic Unleashed Fallout 3
Best Original Score	Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots	Fallout 3 Spore LittleBigPlanet
Best Male Voice	Michael Hollick as Niko Bellic, Grand Theft Auto IV	David Hayter as Old Snake, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Stephen Fry as The Narrator, LittleBigPlanet Jason Zumwalt as Roman Bellic, Grand Theft Auto IV
Best Female Voice	Debi Mae West as Meryl Silverburgh, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots	Nathalie Cox as Juno Eclipse, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Paula Tiso as Silvia Christel, No More Heroes Keeley Hawes as Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: Underworld

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!.^[21]

Award	Winner	Nominees
Game of the Year	BioShock	Halo 3 Mass Effect The Orange Box
Studio of the Year	Harmonix, Rock Band	Bungie, Halo 3 2K Boston/2K Australia, BioShock Valve, The Orange Box
Best Shooter	Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare	BioShock Halo 3 The Orange Box
Best RPG	Mass Effect	Eternal Sonata Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions Persona 3
Best Military Game	Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare	Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas World in Conflict
Best Individual Sports Game	Skate	Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 Tony Hawk's Proving Ground Virtua Tennis 3
Best Handheld Game	The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass	Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
Best Graphics	Crysis	BioShock Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Mass Effect
Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show	The Simpsons Game	The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar Naruto: Rise of a Ninja Stranglehold
Best Rhythm Game	Rock Band	Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Jam Sessions
Best Driving Game	Colin McRae: Dirt	Forza Motorsport 2 Need for Speed: ProStreet Project Gotham Racing 4
Best Action Game	Super Mario Galaxy	Assassin's Creed God of War II Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Best Team Sports Game	Madden NFL 08	NBA 2K8 NHL 08 Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007
Best Soundtrack	Rock Band	BioShock Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
Breakthrough Technology	The Orange Box/Portal	Crysis Halo 3 – Saved Films / Theatre Mode Rock Band
Best Xbox 360 Game	BioShock	Halo 3 Mass Effect The Orange Box
Best Wii Game	Super Mario Galaxy	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Super Paper Mario
Best PS3 Game	Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction	Heavenly Sword Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Warhawk
Best PC Game	The Orange Box	BioShock Crysis World in Conflict
Best Original Score	BioShock	God of War II Halo 3 Mass Effect
Best Multiplayer Game	Halo 3	Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Rock Band The Orange Box
Most Addictive Video Game	Halo 3	Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Team Fortress 2 Wii Sports

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.^[22][23]

Award	Winner	Nominees
Game of the Year	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion	Gears of War Guitar Hero 2 Ōkami Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
Studio of the Year	Epic Games, Gears of War	Clover Studio, Ōkami Relic Entertainment, Company of Heroes Bethesda Game Studios, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Harmonix, Guitar Hero
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	Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis Fight Night Round 3 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 Top Spin 2
Best Team Sports Game	NBA 2K7	Madden NFL 07 NCAA Football 07 FIFA 07 NHL 07
Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show	Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy	The Godfather: The Game Scarface: The World Is Yours The Sopranos: Road to Respect Family Guy Video Game!
Best Performance by a Human Male	Patrick Stewart as Emperor Uriel Septim VII, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion	Seth MacFarlane as Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, and Brian Griffin, Family Guy Video Game! Gerry Rosenthal as Jimmy Hopkins, Bully Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, 24: The Game
Best Supporting Male Performance	James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, The Sopranos: Road to Respect	Seth Green as Chris Griffin, Family Guy Video Game! James Woods as George Sheffield, Scarface: The World Is Yours James Caan as Sonny Corleone, The Godfather: The Game Philip Michael Thomas as Lance Vance, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Best Performance by a Human Female	Vida Guerra as Femme Fatale, Scarface: The World Is Yours	Tia Carrere as Lin, Saints Row Emmanuelle Vaugier as Nikki, Need For Speed: Carbon Keely Hawes as Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: Legend Rosario Dawson as Tina, Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Best Supporting Female Performance	Rachael Leigh Cook as Tifa Lockhart, Kingdom Hearts II	Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer, 24: The Game Brittany Murphy as Karen Light, Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure Mila Kunis as Meg Griffin, Family Guy Video Game! Lynda Carter as Female Nords / Female Orcs, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Best Cast	Family Guy Video Game!	The Godfather: The Game Scarface: The World Is Yours Saints Row The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Best Song	"Lights and Sounds" by Yellowcard, Burnout Revenge	"LocoRoco No Uta" by Nobuyuki Shimizu, LocoRoco "Heavenly Star" by Genki Rockets, Lumines 2 "Helicopter" by Bloc Party, Mark Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure and Burnout Revenge "Summer Shudder" by AFI, Madden NFL 07
Best Soundtrack	Guitar Hero II	Madden NFL 07 Scarface: The World Is Yours Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Best Original Score	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion	Bully Electroplankton Ōkami
Best Driving Game	Burnout Revenge	Need for Speed: Carbon TOCA Race Driver 3 GTR 2 – FIA GT Racing Game
Most Addictive Game	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion	Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day Gears of War Guitar Hero II Company of Heroes
Best Fighting Game	Mortal Kombat: Armageddon	Tekken: Dark Resurrection Dead or Alive 4 Street Fighter Alpha Anthology God Hand
Best Action Game	Dead Rising	New Super Mario Bros. Ōkami Saints Row Bully
Best Shooter	Gears of War	Black Prey Half Life 2: Episode One Call of Duty 3
Best Military Game	Company of Heroes	Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Call of Duty 3 The Outfit Battlefield 2142
Best Graphics	Gears of War	Ōkami Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Company of Heroes
Best Handheld Game	New Super Mario Bros.	Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Tetris DS LocoRoco
Best Multiplayer Game	Gears of War	Company of Heroes Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent
Breakthrough Technology	Wii	PlayStation 3 Nintendo DS Lite Electroplankton
Best RPG	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion	Final Fantasy XII Kingdom Hearts II Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
Best PC Game	Company of Heroes	Half Life 2: Episode One Battlefield 2142 Star Wars: Empire at War The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Best Wireless Game	SWAT Force	Diner Dash Tower Bloxx Super KO Boxing!
Critic's Choice (released after November 15, 2006, and before December 31, 2006)	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess	Resistance: Fall of Man Medieval II: Total War Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas Wii Sports
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.^[24] 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.^[25]

Award	Winner	Nominees
Game of the Year	Resident Evil 4	Call of Duty 2 F.E.A.R. God of War World of Warcraft
Action Game of the Year	God of War	Resident Evil 4 Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie The Warriors 50 Cent: Bulletproof
Best Individual Sports Game	Tony Hawk's American Wasteland	Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 SSX On Tour Top Spin Fight Night Round 2
Best Team Sports Game	Madden NFL 06	Blitz: The League NBA 2K6 World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 International NBA Street V3
Cyber Vixen of the Year	Maria Menounos as Eva, James Bond 007: From Russia with Love	Charlize Theron as Æon Flux, Æon Flux Jessica Alba as Invisible Woman, Fantastic 4 Traci Lords as Cassandra Hartz, True Crime: New York City Laurence Bouvard as Joanna Dark, Perfect Dark Zero
Best Game Based on a Movie	Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie	Star Wars Battlefront II The Warriors James Bond 007: From Russia With Love The Matrix: Path of Neo
Best Performance by a Human Male	Jack Black as Carl Denham, Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie	50 Cent as himself, 50 Cent: Bulletproof Michael Chiklis as Thing, Fantastic 4 Sean Connery as James Bond, James Bond 007: From Russia With Love TC Carson as Kratos, God of War
Best Supporting Male Performance	Christopher Walken as Gabriel Whitting, True Crime: New York City	Eminem as himself, 50 Cent: Bulletproof Dr. Dre as himself, 50 Cent: Bulletproof Michael Clarke Duncan as Blackmore, The Suffering: Ties That Bind P. Diddy as Dip, Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Best Performance by a Human Female	Charlize Theron as Æon Flux, Æon Flux	Naomi Watts as Ann Darrow, Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie Josie Maran as Mia Townsend, Need for Speed: Most Wanted Jessica Alba as Invisible Woman, Fantastic 4 Cornelia Hayes O'Herlihy as Fiona Belli, Haunting Ground
Best Supporting Female Performance	Traci Lords as Madam Cassandra Hartz, True Crime: New York City	Maria Menounos as Eva, James Bond 007: From Russia With Love Rosario Dawson as Tina, Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure Natasha Bedingfield as Elizabeth Stark, James Bond 007: From Russia With Love Mariska Hargitay as Deena Dixon, True Crime: New York City
Best Original Song	"Maybe We Crazy" by 50 Cent, 50 Cent: Bulletproof	"Lights and Sounds" by Yellowcard, Burnout Revenge "When I Get Angry" by Spider Loc, Madden NFL 06 "Getting Up Anthem: Part I" by Talib Kweli and Rakim, Mark Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure "Error Operator" by Taking Back Sunday, Fantastic 4
Best Soundtrack	Guitar Hero	Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories 50 Cent: Bulletproof Tony Hawk's American Wasteland SSX On Tour
Best Original Score	We Love Katamari	Call of Duty 2 God of War Indigo Prophecy Perfect Dark Zero
Designer of the Year	David Jaffe, God of War	Rob Pardo, World of Warcraft Michel Ancel, Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendogs Craig Hubbard, F.E.A.R.
Best Driving Game	Burnout Revenge	Gran Turismo 4 L.A. Rush Forza Motorsport Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
Most Addictive Game	World of Warcraft	We Love Katamari Lumines Nintendogs Meteos
Best Fighting Game	Fight Night Round 2	Soulcalibur III Tekken 5 Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Best First-Person Action	F.E.A.R.	Call of Duty 2 Far Cry Instincts Battlefield 2 Perfect Dark Zero
Best Military Game	Call of Duty 2	Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood Battlefield 2 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory SOCOM 3 U.S. Navy SEALs
Best Graphics	Resident Evil 4	Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie Call of Duty 2 F.E.A.R. PGR 3
Best Handheld Game	Lumines	Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories Nintendogs Meteos Burnout Legends
Best Multiplayer Game	Guild Wars	SOCOM 3 U.S. Navy SEALs Battlefield 2 City of Villains World of Warcraft
Best Breakthrough Technology	PlayStation Portable	Facial motion capture in NBA Live 06 Speech recognition in Nintendogs Unreal Engine 3 Xbox 360
Best RPG	World of Warcraft	Jade Empire X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse Dungeon Siege II Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Best PC Game	World of Warcraft	Battlefield 2 Call of Duty 2 F.E.A.R. Sid Meier's Civilization IV
Best Wireless Game	Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure	Need for Speed: Underground 2 Massive Snowboarding The Incredibles Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
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 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.^[26][27]

Award	Winner	Nominees
Game of the Year	Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	Burnout 3: Takedown Half-Life 2 Halo 2 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Best Game Based on a Movie	The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay	GoldenEye: Rogue Agent Spider-Man 2 Star Wars: Battlefront
Best Performance by a Human Female	Brooke Burke as Rachel Teller, Need for Speed: Underground 2	Judi Dench as M, Goldeneye: Rogue Agent Carmen Electra as herself, Def Jam: Fight For NY Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, Alias Heidi Klum as Katya Nadanova, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing
Best Performance by a Human Male	Samuel L. Jackson as Sergeant Frank Tenpenny, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	Vin Diesel as Richard B. Riddick, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay Hugh Jackman as Gabriel Van Helsing, Van Helsing Christopher Lee as Francisco Scaramanga, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2
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	NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup Need For Speed: Underground 2
Best Sports Game	Madden NFL 2005	ESPN NFL 2K5 NBA Ballers Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Best Fighting Game	Mortal Kombat: Deception	Def Jam: Fight For NY Dead or Alive Ultimate Fight Night 2004 WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw
Best Action Game	Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Ninja Gaiden
Best First-Person Action	Halo 2	Doom 3 Far Cry Half-Life 2 Unreal Tournament 2004
Best Song in a Video Game	"American Idiot" by Green Day, Madden NFL 2005	"I Do" by Chingy, Need for Speed Underground 2 "Pain" by Jimmy Eat World, Tony Hawk's Underground 2 "Lean Back" by Terror Squad, Need for Speed Underground 2 "Go" by Will.i.am, NBA Live 2005
Best Soundtrack	Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	GoldenEye: Rogue Agent Halo 2 Katamari Damacy Madden NFL 2005
Designer of the Year	Jason Jones and Bungie, Halo 2	Sam Houser and Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Tomonobu Itagaki and Team Ninja, Ninja Gaiden Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Alex Ward and Criterion, Burnout 3: Takedown
Best Military Game	Call of Duty: Finest Hour	Conflict: Vietnam Full Spectrum Warrior Rome: Total War Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
Best PC Game	Half-Life 2	Doom 3 Rome: Total War The Sims 2
Best Wireless Game	Might and Magic	CBS Sportsline Baseball 2004 Jamdat Sports NFL 2005 National Treasure
Best Graphics	Half-Life 2	Doom 3 Halo 2 Ninja Gaiden
Best New Technology	Nintendo DS	Source Engine in Half-Life 2 GeForce 6800 Series Spherex Xbox 5.1 Surround Sound System
Best Handheld	Metroid: Zero Mission	Astro Boy: Omega Factor Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour Pokémon FireRed Version
Best Massively Multiplayer Game	City of Heroes	EverQuest II Final Fantasy XI
Best RPG	Fable	The Bard's Tale Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne X-Men Legends
Most Addictive Game (viewer's choice)	Burnout 3: Takedown	City of Heroes Donkey Konga Katamari Damacy The Sims 2
Best Gaming Publication (fan favorite)	Game Informer	Electronic Gaming Monthly Official PlayStation Magazine GMR Official Xbox Magazine
Best Gaming Web Site (fan favorite)	GameSpot	1UP GameSpy IGN Shack News

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.^[28] The event also featured a WWE tag team wrestling match with the superstars Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Trish Stratus, and Victoria.^[29][30]

Award	Winner	Nominees
Game of the Year	Madden NFL 2004	Freedom Fighters Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker SOCOM II U.S. Navy SEALs SSX 3 Star Wars Galaxies Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Tony Hawk's Underground
Best Sports Game	Tony Hawk's Underground	Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball ESPN NFL Football Madden NFL 2004 NBA Live 2004 NBA Street Vol. 2 SSX3 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 World Series Baseball 2K3 WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain
Best Action Game	True Crime: Streets of LA	Freedom Fighters Hitman 2: Silent Assassin Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne Panzer Dragoon Orta Return to Castle Wolfenstein SOCOM II U.S. Navy SEALs Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike XIII
Best Animation	Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball	Grand Theft Auto: Vice City The Getaway Resident Evil Code: Veronica X The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King True Crime: Streets of LA Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht XIII
Best Game Based on a Movie	Enter the Matrix	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup The Hulk Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb James Bond 007: Nightfire The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Tron 2.0
Best Driving Game	NASCAR Thunder 2004	Auto Modellista Colin McRae Rally 3 F1 Career Challenge F-Zero GX The Getaway Midnight Club II MotoGP 2 The Simpsons: Hit & Run
Best Music	Def Jam Vendetta	Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Madden NFL 2004 NBA Live 2004 NBA Street Vol. 2 SSX3 Tony Hawk's Underground True Crime: Streets of LA Wakeboarding Unleashed featuring Shaun Murray
Best Performance by a Human	Ray Liotta as Tommy Vercetti, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City	Christina Aguilera as herself, The Sims: Superstar Christopher Walken as George, True Crime: Streets of LA David Duchovny as XIII, XIII DMX, Method Man, and more as themselves, Def Jam Vendetta Giovanni Ribisi as Pvt Elder, Call of Duty Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe, Enter the Matrix Jenna Jameson as Candy Suxxx, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Snoop Dogg as himself, True Crime: Streets of LA
Most Anticipated	Halo 2	Dead or Alive Online Doom 3 Driv3r Fable Full Spectrum Warrior Gran Turismo 4 Half-Life 2 James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing Medal of Honor: Rising Sun Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater The Sims 2 Starcraft: Ghost
Most Addictive	Soulcalibur II	Anarchy Online: Shadowlands Donkey Kong Country ESPN NHL Hockey Madden NFL 2004 PlanetSide The Sims: Superstar Viewtiful Joe Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution
Best PC Game	Halo: Combat Evolved	Age of Mythology: The Titans Battlefield 1942: The Road to Rome Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour Freedom Fighters Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne The Sims: Superstar Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
Best Online Game	Final Fantasy XI	Anarchy Online: Shadowlands Battlefield 1942: The Road to Rome EverQuest Online Adventures Midnight Club II Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide PlanetSide The Sims Online Star Wars Galaxies
Best Handheld Game	Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell	Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Iridion II Mega Man and Bass Ninja Five-O Rayman 3 Sonic Advance 2
Best Fighting Game	WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain	Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home Bloody Roar 4 Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO Def Jam Vendetta Pride FC Soulcalibur II Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution WWE WrestleMania XIX
Best First Person Action	Call of Duty	Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII Chrome Halo: Combat Evolved PlanetSide Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder XIII
Best Fantasy Game	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	.Hack Part 1 Infection Dark Cloud 2 EverQuest Online Adventures Final Fantasy XI Skies of Arcadia Legends Star Wars Galaxies The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht

Spike's Video Game Hall of Fame

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 was The Legend of Zelda franchise. Shigeru Miyamoto accepted 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^[31]

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 Parish	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."^[32] 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.^[33]

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.^[34] 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 video game 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.^[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]}

Parodies

• The Video MADtv, highlighting the fictional 1st Annual Video Game Awards on June 21, 1977, hosted by Joe Namath (played by Michael McDonald) and Farrah Fawcett (played by Arden Myrin), musical guest The Jackson 5, and award presenter Mark Spitz (played by Ike Barinholtz). Pong and Asteroids were the only video games nominated for all of the awards presented, even though Asteroids 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 and Asteroids win in a tie). Bobby Lee accepts an award as a designer of Asteroids. Space Invaders is shown to display the future of video games, although it was released before Asteroids in 1978.^[41]

References

1. Spike Press Release (November 16, 2011). "Spike Announces VGA Nominees & Honors "Legend Of Zelda" With First Ever Video Game Hall Of Fame Award". Spike. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
2. Samit Sarkar (November 15, 2013). "Spike Video Game Awards renamed VGX, set for Dec. 7". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
3. "VGX About". Spike TV. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
4. Takahashi, Dean (November 10, 2014). "Geoff Keighley unveils The Game Awards 2014 to replace the VGAs". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on November 27, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
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External links

• VGX 2013
• Every VGA Winner from Years Past