Battle Etiquette! The Benefits of Greeting Your Opponents Before Battle!

[A10theHero]

As stated in the title of this thread, I want to write an article about the benefits of greeting your opponents before battling them. A cordial gesture can go a long way in terms of making Pokémon Showdown a fun place for everyone! We play a game that emphasizes the bonds of friendship, so we should advocate for being friendly and courteous to every person we meet.


For evidence in this piece, I will conduct a survey and ask players a series of questions. It will include: 1. Do you greet players before battling them? 2. What is your opinion (either good or bad) of people who greet you before battling? 3. Do you usually stay in contact with people who have greeted you after the battle ends? 4. Does meeting a friendly person make your battling experience better, worse, or is it unaffected by that?

Intro Paragraph:

I will introduce the topic. I will use the results of Questions 1 and 2 in this paragraph, and I might also tell my personal experience with friendly greetings.

Body Paragraph 1:

Greeting your opponent in a friendly manner can help you make friends! Though two opponents may be complete strangers, they do already share something in common. We are all here because we love Pokémon and we want to take battling to the next level! A friendly greeting can lead to more talking, and players can discover that they have more in common. Through conversation, we can make more friends! I will include the results of Question 3 in this paragraph.

Body Paragraph 2:

Both players enjoy the battle more when they can talk amiably. When players are serious about battles, winning can be crucial and defeat can be crushing. But battling with a friend lightens the situation—having fun and hanging out with your friend can take priority over winning and losing. I will use the results of Question 4 in this paragraph.

Conclusion:

I will make concluding remarks in this paragraph and probably make use of what I said in the summary of my article: “We play a game that emphasizes the bonds of friendship, so we should advocate for being friendly and courteous to every person we meet.”

EDIT: If my article does get accepted, I would like to add a third body paragraph in which I present a counterargument similar to the one I wrote in response to Arcticblast's comment.

 

[Arcticblast]

To be completely honest, I get really annoyed when people say something like "glhf" at the beginning of a battle. I'd rather they be spending the time worrying about the game, and being greeted makes me feel as if I'm obliged to respond (I rarely actually follow up on this).

 

[A10theHero]

Wow, I did not expect a reply so soon. Thank you for writing so quickly!

Hmm…I see what you are saying. While I agree that competitive battling requires more seriousness than regular in-game battling, it would be wrong to play in such a serious way that one is unwilling to converse or socialize with a fellow trainer. Pokémon was designed for our enjoyment, and being completely serious about it does not make sense to me. What is the point of playing if nobody is willing to have fun? The original purpose of it all is lost. When you battle, you are sharing that experience with a fellow human being, who has a common interest with you. There is more than enough time allotted in a battle to strategize and greet your opponent. Why not make it an enjoyable and memorable experience? It is true—the primary purpose of Pokémon Showdown is to simulate battling. But, as we are trying to show in The Player, it is much more than that. So let us create a pleasant and cordial environment—let us create a place where people can have fun, meet lots of wonderful people, and make new friends. Let this be a place where everyone can learn and grow together. It will be better for all of us.

 

[scene]

I just don't think this is interesting enough to merit inclusion, sorry A10theHero. I like your style though, so don't be afraid to submit other ideas if you have them!