SOAPBOX. TRANSFORM.

Hello passerby! I would like to tell you something. I'll be blunt. You see I, among thousands of other preteens at the time, only started coming to this site around 2002 for the video game parodies. I wasn't your angsty "hate-the-mainstream-everything-for-mi splaced-reasons" teenager, so killing celebrities didn't mean much. If I wanted original cartoons, I would watch Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network, instead of sifting through a (potentially) new idea being shot out everyday. It felt like a chore to sit down and warm up to a new character short after short, with no guarantee of quality.

But the video game parody. Oh my 12 year old self was astonished. Video game graphics being manipulated by the will of others?! AWESOME. I did not have to tolerate with crappy Sonic drawings, I could watch the same sprite from my game do silly/cool stuff on Newgrounds.

Mario's in it you say? I know the character, +1. I know what he can do, +1. I know the context, +1. I know I like him, +3. All of these instant points are gained just my the mere mention of that homicidal plumber. This made watching VG parodies more enticing and convenient. But wait! If it's an author trying to make his own stories for the first time, or perhaps someone I have not known yet, he does not get all of these points! Say whaaaaat?! More on that later!

So I start animating with sprites because it looked awesome (wish SWISH 2.0 bitch). I eventually received a 4x5 'bronze' Wacom graphire2 drawing tablet and began animating by hand (and with flash) this time. I was still doing video game parodies (shoot, the majority of my stuff ***submitted** is mostly unoriginal characters/styles).

But I have had a much larger original series being previsualized. Hopefully it will manifest in some form this summer.

BUT ANYWAY. Yes. I owe Newgrounds and its video game parodies for that is why I am in college for animation. And no this was not a bullshit "animayshun is kewl lol" attempt at a random college. I want to pursue it. Hell I put Nazo Unleashed in my college portfolio and got accepted in to RISD (not attending though). I owe of all of this to Newgrounds and Sonic video game parodies. 'Le GASP!

But times have changed...Why you ask?...If you asked?

1. Talent increase
2. More original authors
3. CASH MONEY

Believe it or not cynics, there are actually less video game parodies. or at least those reaching the spotlight. Sprite movies are not nearly as popular people began drawing their own toons. People also started getting better. Stuff that would get first place for the month 5 years ago could easily be a green-score or a no-color today. And while there are more original authors, one thing has not changed...

The hordes...HORDES. Of fan boys, 13 year olds, and followers.

They possess the demented power to skyrocketed a movie from "okay-good" to 4.50+ in a single day. Leaving a simple "10" review with the statement "lol this kicked ass. Keep it up" and then having the next couple of hundred do the same, the cycle is no stranger to us. To be honest, just look at my Nazo Unleashed part 3. I am dead proud of that trilogy and no offense to my fans but...It's true isn't it? The movie can have lame humor, uninspired fight scenes, or sub-par graphics, but slap a "Zelda" on there and watch out! But nothing wrong right? It's only Newgrounds. They will get their 15 minutes of fame. No biggie.

DIDN'T I SAY CASH MONEY?

Yes, Newgrounds thoughtfully decided to reward the best submissions every month with CASH MONEY (well technically a check). Hatred and resentment grew over the fact that a mediocre flash involving video games can almost be guaranteed $250. And, again, screw you cynics because that's a little more than two weeks of part time work. +$250 is better than +$0.

But even besides the money, video game parodies hog the spotlight from original works. The internet lets amateur artists debut their work to the entire world for free. But video game parodies do not need to get the word out as much because they get so much natural boosts (as stated earlier). Original shorts have a steeper hill to climb.
So me must expect the viewer to want to use his free time to check out something he is unfamiliar with and take time to get used to it. That's what normal TV shows do right?....But Newgrounds churns this stuff out like crazy, meaning the viewers would constantly be having to adjust to new stuff. It is just easier to just watch the stuff you know, yes?

What to do! Everyone should have a shot, but it is very demanding now. Those disgruntled "real" animators who worship Richard William's "The Animator's Survival Kit" like the goddamn bible (pick it up, good buy) and tattoo "squash and stretch" to their asses (OR THEIR DICKS, HA) have begun to surface and voice their frustrated opinion.

But we should not decry the video game parody!

People should be able to use their skills to make their dreams come to life, even if it is based on someone else's characters. They should also be able to share it to the world (and face the consequences if it is poorly made). Sometimes you see a VG parody with EXCELLENT skill, both in animation and writing, so to simply toss it away as "another VG parody" is baseless. But there must also be away to give a leg up to original works.

Do not punish the authors for creating VG parodies, but make it easier for original artists. I ask you:...How?

MY IDEAAAAAAA.

A "preview" system.

How the hell this works I do no know, but perhaps the front page can play 5 second clips from front page movies to get people to watch them?

TOO LONG DID NOT READ?
-VG parodies are part of NG popularity, history, and community
-VG parodies helped me start my path of animation
-VG parodies have an automatic unfair advantage over original works
-NG "preview system" to get a quick taste of a flash to perk curiosity.

I am getting Prototype for PS3 tomorrow. Anyone else?