Although the majority of anticipation surrounding the Spike Video Game Awards revolves around the high profile reveals that are set to punctuate the event, there are still elements of the pageantry of an awards show that keeps viewers engaged between those reveals. One part of that entertainment comes from the host of the event, who has just been announced by Spike today.

Popular star of TV, movies, and video games Zachary Levi has been given the task of hosting duties, which were last year headed up by Neil Patrick Harris. Levi, a prominent feature in nerd culture, seems like a perfect fit for the hosting gig, and should do an amiable job generating genuine enthusiasm from the viewers.

Beyond being a popular feature in video game culture, with his voice acting work in Halo: Reach and Fallout: New Vegas, Levi is known to make appearances at high profile events as a participant, not part of the spectacle. At this year’s Call of Duty XP, Levi was seen participating in all of the expo’s many events, and seemed genuinely thrilled to be a part of it.

If Levi can pull off the hosting duties, and does so with the same type of enthusiasm he brings to his work, this could be the beginning of a long relationship between the him and the VGAs.

Also slated for a VGAs appearance are The Black Keys, who will be performing their song “Lonely Boy,” and Deadmau5, who will be DJing the entire event. Though it's a far stretch from Jose Gonzalez performance of "Far Away," these two performances should fit in well.

And for a final surprise, Spike unveiled the recipient of their ‘Gamer God’ award to be none other than prolific game developer Blizzard for their work on everything from World of Warcraft to Diablo. To celebrate the receipt of the award, Blizzard is bringing with them the opening cinematic to the highly anticipated Diablo III, which will debut on the show.

So far the show is shaping up to be a huge improvement over last year’s festivities, which did include the reveal of Skyrim — a shoe-in for Game of the Year.

What do you think of Spike’s choice of Zachary Levi as the Spike VGA host? Do you agree that Blizzard is deserved of the ‘Gamer God’ award?

The Spike Video Game Awards air December 10, 2012 at 5pm PST on Spike TV, MTV2, and live streaming on Spike.com.