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Key · 08-13-2018, 09:08 AM

Grinding in Video Games

No I'm not talking about jumping onto the rails in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, I'm talking about the kind of grinding in video games that people don't seem to enjoy as much as other people do. Hell, there seems to be a bit of a stigma revolving around grinding. Lots of games do it. Lots of games do it well. And lots of games don't do it particularly well. However in this case, I felt that talking about the games that either do it well or not well wouldn't be as productive as talking about my personal thoughts about grinding in video games as a whole, and not try to sugarcoat it with game titles.

So, yeah. Grinding. What do I think of it? How do I feel about it? Well, for me it depends on the game. Like I said earlier, some games have done it well, some haven't. What exactly do I mean? Well, some games require you to grind by killing monsters in certain areas and working your way up a skill tree be it with weapons, armor, etc. That's what Monster Hunter World does. That's what Skyrim does. That's what Middle Earth: Shadow of War does. The more you do it, the stronger you get. That's how it should be in my opinion. Grdinging shouldn't be all about levels and getting everything to the highest level you can. Now, that's also a really great concept as well and it's used usually alongside the grind for better equipment. But, still. A lot of games decide that the leveling system is the way to go. That's not always the case. Skyrim for example. Instead of being held down by a certain level, you are instead able to just take on as many dragons you want, grind your smithing levels, and get better equipment while doing so. That's a perfect example of a game using both in the best ways. Monster Hunter World, while it does have a hunter level etc, it doesn't keep you from getting better equipment. Hell, if you think you're good enough, you can straight up fight the tougher monsters to get the better loot. That's what I did once or twice. I've killed monsters in the tougher parts of the game, and yes, they are ****ing difficult. Sometimes I just get really lucky. That, and certain weapons are really good. I use the Insect Glaive more than anything, but the hammer weapons are also really good.

Probably my favorite weapon right now to be honest. It's really good and allows for some awesome packed combos.

I've trailed off a little bit, so what's my whole point? Well, grinding in video games really shouldn't always be seen as a negative thing. In some cases, it's actually a lot of fun. I personally enjoy a good grind in a video games. Because not only does it allow me to spend more time in the game that I like, it also lets me discover more things while I grind for the weapon or armor that I'm trying to get. And it pushes exploration as well. You wouldn't really have the urge to explore an open world unless there was a reason to do it. Certain kinds of grinding benefit an open world. For instance, fighting the tougher and tougher monsters in Monster Hunter World push you to explore the entire island, and not just stay where you are comfortable. I guess you could even put the Fallout games in this category as they do the same thing in some cases. Maybe not as evident, but its there.

I don't know. It's always seemed silly to me that people don't like grinding in video games. Why would you not want to spend many hours pushing to get better at the game? Why would you not want to spend as much time in the game that you like as much as possible? I always love putting many hours into video games that I play, and a good grind is very much welcome in those cases.

Oh, Warframe is also the God of grinding and I love it.

08-13-2018, 09:08 AM	#554 (permalink)
Key . Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 13,153	Grinding in Video Games No I'm not talking about jumping onto the rails in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, I'm talking about the kind of grinding in video games that people don't seem to enjoy as much as other people do. Hell, there seems to be a bit of a stigma revolving around grinding. Lots of games do it. Lots of games do it well. And lots of games don't do it particularly well. However in this case, I felt that talking about the games that either do it well or not well wouldn't be as productive as talking about my personal thoughts about grinding in video games as a whole, and not try to sugarcoat it with game titles. So, yeah. Grinding. What do I think of it? How do I feel about it? Well, for me it depends on the game. Like I said earlier, some games have done it well, some haven't. What exactly do I mean? Well, some games require you to grind by killing monsters in certain areas and working your way up a skill tree be it with weapons, armor, etc. That's what Monster Hunter World does. That's what Skyrim does. That's what Middle Earth: Shadow of War does. The more you do it, the stronger you get. That's how it should be in my opinion. Grdinging shouldn't be all about levels and getting everything to the highest level you can. Now, that's also a really great concept as well and it's used usually alongside the grind for better equipment. But, still. A lot of games decide that the leveling system is the way to go. That's not always the case. Skyrim for example. Instead of being held down by a certain level, you are instead able to just take on as many dragons you want, grind your smithing levels, and get better equipment while doing so. That's a perfect example of a game using both in the best ways. Monster Hunter World, while it does have a hunter level etc, it doesn't keep you from getting better equipment. Hell, if you think you're good enough, you can straight up fight the tougher monsters to get the better loot. That's what I did once or twice. I've killed monsters in the tougher parts of the game, and yes, they are ****ing difficult. Sometimes I just get really lucky. That, and certain weapons are really good. I use the Insect Glaive more than anything, but the hammer weapons are also really good. Probably my favorite weapon right now to be honest. It's really good and allows for some awesome packed combos. I've trailed off a little bit, so what's my whole point? Well, grinding in video games really shouldn't always be seen as a negative thing. In some cases, it's actually a lot of fun. I personally enjoy a good grind in a video games. Because not only does it allow me to spend more time in the game that I like, it also lets me discover more things while I grind for the weapon or armor that I'm trying to get. And it pushes exploration as well. You wouldn't really have the urge to explore an open world unless there was a reason to do it. Certain kinds of grinding benefit an open world. For instance, fighting the tougher and tougher monsters in Monster Hunter World push you to explore the entire island, and not just stay where you are comfortable. I guess you could even put the Fallout games in this category as they do the same thing in some cases. Maybe not as evident, but its there. I don't know. It's always seemed silly to me that people don't like grinding in video games. Why would you not want to spend many hours pushing to get better at the game? Why would you not want to spend as much time in the game that you like as much as possible? I always love putting many hours into video games that I play, and a good grind is very much welcome in those cases. Oh, Warframe is also the God of grinding and I love it.