Writer Woes

I really enjoy Pet Battles. This mini-game gives me an alternative goal than just "collect them all". It's fun, easy-going, yet there's depth and diversity. There's no absolute right or wrong when participating in a battle. Sure, there are pets that are obviously stronger than others, and some just make logical sense to use against particular types, but in the end picking a pet for a PVE battle is really all about what the player wants and feels comfortable using. And I guess that's one downside to this mini-game, except not in a 'that's what's wrong about this game' type of way. It's more of a personal inconvenience.

I've been debating whether or not to continue writing about the tactical side of Pet Battles. Guides on how to defeat Tamer teams, which abilities to use when, etc. These days I find myself using one team and then finding another pet or two to swap in and out that work just as well. This is a bit frustrating from a guide standpoint since I feel compelled to go back and change what I previously wrote.

Doing this for every guide past, present and future, it's not very realistic or efficient though. Writing up a detailed how-to post and then revising it every time I find a new team that works (which is quite often)? That would take up so much of my time that I wouldn't be able to play Pet Battles and enjoy it for what it is.

On top of that, pet abilities are always being refined, altered, and/or added and removed. Just because one ability is good against a specific pet one week, doesn't always mean it will be just as good the next week. These changes are only natural for an aspect of this game that's so fresh and new, though. I'm not against it, but it does make writing about Pet Battles from a tactical point of view a bit more challenging.

Lastly, I'm a pet collector at heart. It's what I started out as, and it's what I mainly consider myself even now. Pet collector first, pet battler second.

What's the difference? The collecting aspect appeals to me more than the leveling, winning, etc. Battles have a more competitive air about them, while collecting remains as it was when vanity pets first made their appearance in the game. You simply collect. It has expanded since then, and you can focus on different things in your collection such as quality, pet colors, etc. Ultimately, the goal is still the same: collect them all.

I really can't make up my mind what I'd like to do in this situation. Continue writing about battling and then rewriting each post as new information or new tactics becomes available? Or focus on collecting and simply playing the game? I'm inclined to the latter since there are many excellent bloggers out there who have taken up the task of writing about Pet Battles. Will it make me any less of a pet enthusiast though? I don't know, but I certainly hope not.