Jack Black is one of those guys people have a very distinct reaction to -- they either love him or loathe him. Looking at the picture above, it's sort of a snap to figure out why. Therefore, I am not sure if I bring you good or bad tidings when I say that he has been formally announced as the host of this year's Spike Video Game Awards.

Black is a "huge gamer" as described by Spike, but I think the bigger question at stake is if gamers actually care about formal award ceremonies or not. After all, we're an opinionated bunch, and a golden statue is hardly going to change our opinions of what games we love most -- although it could certainly cause some argument. But then again, that's what gamers seem to like to do best...

JACK BLACK TO HOST SPIKE TV'S 2008 "VIDEO GAME AWARDS"


6th Annual Celebration To Include Mind-Blowing World Premieres Of God Of War III, Brütal Legend, Fight Night Round 4,

Mafia II, Terminator Salvation, Uncharted 2, Watchmen: The End is Nigh, A Special Gears Of War 2 Announcement and Other Surprises
 
Premieres LIVE Sunday, December 14 At 9:00 PM ET

New York, NY, December 2, 2008 – On Sunday, December 14th, the future is in play when Jack Black, one of the entertainment industry's most versatile and talented stars, takes viewers on a trip to gamer heaven as host of Spike TV's 2008 "Video Game Awards."  Recognizing outstanding artistic and technical achievement in the gaming industry, plus premiering first-looks at the hottest games of 2009 and beyond, the 2008 "VGAs" debuts LIVE and in HIGH-DEFINITION on Sunday, December 14 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/tape delay on west coast) from Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, CA.
 
In emceeing the night's festivities, Black will be capping a 2008 which saw him star in two Hollywood blockbusters, "Tropic Thunder" and "Kung Fu Panda" that grossed over $800 million worldwide combined.  Also, he will star opposite Michael Cera in director Harold Ramis' June 2009 release of  "The Year One."
 
"Jack is a huge gamer and a former performer and winner on the 'VGAs' having taken home Best Performance By A Human – Male in 2005," said Casey Patterson, Spike TV's senior vice president, event production and talent development. "We're thrilled to have him as our host.  With a record 10 world premieres including Brütal Legend starring Jack, it will be a big night and wild ride!"

In addition to the world premiere of Brütal Legend gameplay from designer Tim Schafer (Grim Fandango and Psychonauts) and Double Fine Productions, the 2008 "VGAs" will be stacked with an unprecedented number of wall-to-wall world exclusives.  Games scheduled to make their global debut include the first look at the gameplay of the PlayStation 3™ exclusive God of War III, Uncharted 2, EA's Sports Fight Night Round 4, Mafia II, Terminator Salvation, Watchmen: The End is Nigh, a special announcement regarding Gears of War 2 and more blockbuster surprises set to be revealed shortly.

At the show, legendary game designer Will Wright will receive the first-ever Gamer God award for his achievements in the gaming industry.  Other industry luminaries set to attend include Game of the Year-nominees Hideo Kojima (designer, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots), Cliff Bleszinski (design director, Gears of War 2), Todd Howard (executive producer, Fallout 3), Alex Evans (co-founder, Media Molecule, creators of LittleBigPlanet), Rockstar Games and more names soon to be announced.
 
The official sponsors of Spike TV's 2008 "Video Game Awards" are Burger King®, GameStop™, Gillette®, Energizer®, Mountain Dew, Stride® Gum, U.S. Army and Verizon Wireless.

Nominees and winners for Spike TV's 2008 "Video Game Awards" were determined by the VGA Advisory Council, made up of a group of the top journalists in the industry.  Games released between December 2, 2007 and December 1, 2008 were eligible for nomination.  The Best Independent Game Fueled by Dew winner will be selected by fans who vote on VGA.Spike.com.

Albie Hecht, Oscar®-nominated producer and co-creator of the "Kids' Choice" and "Video Game Awards," and Casey Patterson, senior vice president, event production & talent development for Spike TV will serve as executive producers of Spike TV's 2008 "Video Game Awards."  Greg Sills is supervising producer and Alicia Portugal is executive in charge of production.

Spike TV is available in 97.7 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks.  A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press.