Competitive or Non-Competitive?

With VGC-style competitive play, Pokémon has an established standard for players to test their skills against one another. However, although unstated, this mode of play requires preparation that is not very little in terms of both time and effort. Breeding is involved, as are selection of moves and hold items, and stat development. For some people, especially when combined with other things they have to do, this can be a bit much. Fortunately, Pokémon is not just VGC, and there are many things to enjoy besides VGC-style battling.

This does lead to a point of consideration: how much of what we enjoy is competitive and how much of it is not? For players that really delve into VGC and its preparatory "rituals", if you will, they are definitely more into the competitive side. For those who are less versed in the whys and hows of VGC, they might be more non-competitive than competitive. What is clear is that the question I pose as the title of this post is not an all-or-nothing. There are VGC players that are interested in many non-competitive aspects, and there are non-competitive players that may have tried out VGC battling.

At this point, I consider myself mostly non-competitive, as I got into VGC a little late. If I were to quantify it, my competitive/non-competitive ratio is 30:70. As a fan of all things Pokémon, I feel that I should also delve into VGC even if it is only to understand its ways. It might be hard and take more time for me to become a VGC master, but the least I can do is to take in as much as possible and compete based on what I've been able to do. The rest is reserved for all my other ventures in the Pokémon universe.

In the end, evaluating this characteristic is a matter of personal tastes. If you like VGC and are willing to put up with all its "rituals" and its associated time and effort, go for it. If not, you don't have to, but if you like Pokémon as much as I do, you will want to at least try it. Pokémon is no longer just games, though games are still the primary focus, and VGC is a highly standardized way of playing - everyone is welcome for everything.