I'm going to play games with a friend's friend.
I'm curious if you have a reason for wanting to play games with your friend's friend?
Because I don't care about exchanging pleasantries with them, plus I love playing games.
If you find that enjoyable, do it. You don't have to be close friends to enjoy video games with each other.
It's easier to devote time to these players that are much better than the ones on my friends list.
It sounds like there's no problem here, and I am glad that you're going to go have fun with people-- it doesn't really matter if they're your friend or not, as long as you're enjoying yourself!