ASAP Staff writer Ryan Pearson just shot me a link to his excellent write-up of last night's Video Game Awards show on Spike TV.

I think he hit the nail right on the head. The reason these shows don't work, he concludes, is because in video games the gamers are the center of attention, but in the shows, the celebrities are.

And more to the point, many of the ones who show up at award shows don't give a damn about the games, even if they're in them.

Case in point:

So it's odd that famous people are front-and-center at the Video Game Awards, where innovative game producers went slinking down the red carpet unnoticed as everyone from Xzibit to MySpace vixen Tila Tequila — neither of whom seemed much interested in their own games — hogged camera time.

Ms. Tequila appears in "Street Racing Syndicate." You can win her as a prize, at which point she rides with you and tells you that "You suck." Asked if she gives any productive tips to the player, she responded, "Not really. I just distract."

Xzibit, so charismatic as host of the "Pimp My Ride" TV show, appears in its just-released game iteration. He explains it thusly: "Basically it's a racing game, driving game, whatever. You get to do something to the cars. I had to be involved because I didn't want them to portray me in a light I don't want to be portrayed in." He appeared not to have played the game.

Sure, Pearson points out, some of the stars who made the show were into gaming.

For instance Daniel Dae Kim is a big Guitar Hero fan, but then again who isn't. And Both Masi Oka and Brandon Routh are huge World of Warcraft fans. They were even talking about starting up a celebrity guild on a server. That would be fantastic, getting pwned by a crew of multi-millionaire movie stars. Dammit, they're rich and famous in the real world, leave the virtual one to us noobs. Brian Crecente

In gaming, YOU are the star. Aren't you? AP]