Decline of Video Gaming

""There was a time, long long ago, when gaming was good...""

- Intro to Decline of Video Gaming

A Flash animation made by Double Helix and Super Flash Bros. Originally it was just a simple movie filled with silly jokes about the "Future of Video Gaming", and soon spanned four episodes (If you include the Christmas Special). Practically teeming with video game jokes set in the years they were created (2004-2005), the Decline of Video Gaming was a well-received Flash cartoon on Newgrounds. Most of them end with a rant about "Some Video Games Are So Bad", and really likes to harp on the nonsensicals in video games.

Decline of Video Gaming, the first episode, was set in the distant future of 2059 AD, where most video game series have been simplified and/or have started to feel more realistic. The characters introduced in this one were Dim, a long-haired guy who complained about video games; Dan, a jacket-wearing brunet guy who complained about video games, and JT, a scruffy-haired guy in a black shirt who complained about video games. Needless to say, they complained about video games. It was the most simple of the series, because it was less plot-related, and more just made to harp on video games.

Decline of Video Gaming 2 had more plot than the first. The three characters, Dim, Dan and JT, are invited to e3 (Electronically Exaggerated Entertainment Show), so that the three evil game developers, Konami, Capcom and Square Enix, can kill them. This one really fleshes out the characters, giving them actual personalities and mannerisms. It had more video game jokes, more references and a new character: Tom, the other member of Double Helix/Super Flash Bros.

A Decline Christmas was a Christmas special, with nicer animation and more holiday jokes. It had no real plot, much like Decline of Video Gaming.

Decline of Video Gaming 3 was the final "episode" in the series, and featured the cast going to Japan to visit an arcade. Eventually they were kidnapped and brought to an odd Japanese game show, to compete against a few minor characters from the second episode. It had more video game jokes and references, and the expected rant at the end of the game. You might recognize a lot of the characters, such as Hideo Kojima and Ken Kutagari. This ended the series, much to the dismay of the many fans of the groups.

"Dim: Hey, waitaminute that spells go- JT: Will you guys shut up!? I'm trying to watch TV!"
 * Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Devils of our Lives.
 * Art Evolution: There was a major improvement in the animation quality between the first and second installments.
 * Bag of Spilling: Decline 3 parodies Metroid's tendency to do this. Specifically, Samus trips and drops her power-ups down a drain.
 * Big Bad: The developers of Square Enix, Capcom and Konami.
 * Butt Monkey: Tom.
 * Face Palm: "Well, that's what you get for SITTING IN A CHIMNEY! Sheesh..."
 * Dramatic Thunder: Crosses with Sorry I Left the BGM On in Decline 2
 * Early Installment Weirdness: The first entry took place Twenty Minutes Into the Future, with the main characters entering a game store that sold not-yet-existent sequels. Every subsequent episode simply took place in the modern day, with commentary on recently released games instead.
 * Fridge Logic: Spiderman's natural fear of newspapers.
 * Fun with Acronyms: In Decline 2, Dim, Dan, and JT are given free tickets to E3 from the Gaming Ordinators National Association of Developing Systems.

"Head of Konami: Why is plan B always the better one?"
 * A Good Old-Fashioned Paint-Watching
 * Groin Attack: World's Funniest Tornadoes
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Egoraptor, of Awesome Series fame, voices all three of the Big Bads.
 * Hilarious Outtakes: Well, one in Decline 1.
 * Man On Fire: Tom is lit on fire once an episode (since Episode 2). The first time was by a misfired Fire Spell from Square Enix, next when Tom fell down a chimney into a fireplace, and in the final one, he goes through the episode barely escaping the flames, until the end, when it is heavily implied that he is burned at the stake.
 * Lampshaded during the final episode, where Tom lists off how many times he's almost been lit on fire. It's 31 times, to be exact. Twenty-eight of them were Noodle Incidents.
 * "We'd have more fun watching Tom burn."
 * Ridiculous Future Sequelisation
 * Running Gag: "Ohmygodimonfire!"
 * Take That: To paraphrase the third episode, "the fact that the guys love video games doesn't mean they can't be cruel".
 * Talking to Himself: Egoraptor voices all three villains.
 * Time for Plan B: Tranq darts in Decline 3.


 * Twenty Minutes Into the Future: The first installment. The Flash video was meant to be a parody of what was then the current state of video games, so it's pretty tongue-in-cheek.
 * Shout-Out: Among others, Evil Robot Usses
 * FFX in Canada, South Park style.