"Seasonal" or "Occasional" Gamers

It's not surprising that over the years that I have spent with and playing Pokémon, I have gained a number of friends who share that exact same interest. Some of them are as intensely or neatly passionate as I am, while others are a little more quirky. A couple of the latter becomes the key point of what I discuss today, especially in relation to the aspect of gaming, which is in many ways relevant for Pokémon. It is the quirks that make them what they are, and they also fit to be described with the term I've dropped in the title of this post, which deserves some explanation.

In regard to gaming, they can be described as "seasonal gamers". I describe them as "seasonal" because they go into a game (Pokémon in whatever form included), play it, then get out of it, and the process repeats. They may or may not return to the games they have played, and this may be a blessing or a curse when Pokémon is concerned. In a way, by analogue to the term "occasional friend", they could be called an "occasional gamer" - thus both terms in the title - but "occasional" has the possible further connotation that they do not play frequently (they do play frequently by all means), which is why I opted for "seasonal" in line with the logic of a local neologism, in that whatever they play changes as with the seasons.

Strangely enough, their behaviors are or may be just as quirky as the way they play their games. On one hand, they can and do play well the games that they play, and in some cases this may be extremely well. When it comes to multiplayer gaming, this can be supportive of that. On the other hand and unfortunately, at times they might come off as arrogant or haughty, whether it's toward me or other players. When this happens, it may become rather irksome, and even I don't know how to regard this when I'm personally involved. For the case of playing with Pokémon, the former would be definitely pleasant; the latter case would be quite unspirited, given how Pokémon can and should appeal to everyone.

Personally, it's the previous point that I'm concerned with, especially since it seems to occur for many of the "seasonal" gamers I have relationships with. I'm not against them being "seasonal" gamers; it's not up to me to decide what games they should play. But I do take issue if their attitudes are not as wholesome as they could be, especially as far as the wholesomeness of Pokémon is relevant. Still, if they are fervent Pokémon fans like I am and remain as such even with all their "seasonality", it is still useful to be associated with them, though their behaviors may need some (or a lot of) work.

These "seasonal" or "occasional" gamers are rather quirky indeed. They move from one game to another by whims that rival those of nature, and it may be that they have aspects of behaviors that are less than savory. Yet some of them, particularly ones I know, are also attracted to Pokémon perhaps as much as I am, and they can be useful to have around when dealing with Pokémon. It may be considered somewhat dilemmatic. Even so, I also appreciate being in the company of such friends. At that point, their weirdness may be allowed to take a backseat for what Pokémon has to offer.

One year ago: A Cosplay Departure

Two years ago: Screenplay Writing

Three years ago: Good (Life)Times, Again