Can fads really point to the end of creativity?
You could even call this "style" of videogame parody animation a niche- I don't think it's an issue of selling out, or that it announces the end of imagination. Really, what is even "original" anymore? How many pseudo-anime styled flashes show up on the front page? Is it stylistically original? Is the narrative of people using automatics and katanas original? The idea of WHAT is original needs to be defined before a discussion of what a good animation really is can actually start.
Look at the original intellectual property flashes that people love: "There She Is!," "Bitey of Brakenwood," or "Tankmen." I think the affection that is directed at these flashes is far greater than the mob mentality that fallows videogame parody flashes.
The fact is, this method of parody and animation IS popular; and popular opinion is what drives a user-generated-content site. The whole idea of making jokes about things that people really enjoy isn't new to entertainment; look at SNL or MADtv- those shows are popular because they do a lot of parody. If people get rewarded for a half-assed bit of animation, and some jokes that are directed towards one demographic, then I don't see a problem with that. And I don't think it's an affront to the people who use different methods to become successful.
Videogame parody flashes are popular because their content is popular. There are certain games that people really enjoy, and as such, will enjoy flashes that are in relation to them. It's like how people on Deviant Art who post nothing but drawings of Naruto will have a lot of subscribers; and that's fine. That's how they're choosing to use the site. There isn't really a reason to get upset about it, unless one is trying to be the most popular person on the internet.
Really, what is the reason someone makes a flash? If it's just for some attention or fame, then it's going to be harder to do with original content (it's like that in any part of the entertainment industry). If the flash or animation is made just so a person can tell a story, then why be upset over not making the front page? Is the reward in the masses fallowing the work, or in the sophisticated fallowing the work?
Why, just look at video games. :P Do the positive reviews make a successful game, or do the large sells of the game make it successful? The answer is likly dependent on the kind of person the creator is.
Maybe one could think of these sketchy-drawn in-joke parodies as a genre in and of themselves. They're good in their own right, but comparing them to flashes that are trying to be something different is somewhat unfair. Do you compare the Lion King to Teen Titians? They're hitting different demographics, and aren't trying to be the same thing.
I suppose I'm rambling a bit... but really, the whole thing seems like whining to me, and I don't get why it's even going on. Any influx of these particular kinds of cartoons is just a fad, and it isn't the first time there's been fads on this site (it's popularity is practically built on fads).
I'm not trying to insult either side of this argument, but I think both sides are over-reacting. Then again, Internets are serious business, huh? :P
The Movie was fine I guess... I gave it a neutral score. I think it was your blurb that was more interesting, and definitely more worth reading. :)