Posted January 14, 2012 I honestly can't remember the last RPG where I've had to grind. Or at least not in the traditional sense where I've had to postpone any sort of enjoyment/progression/exploration for the sake of levelling. Action games for reactions, RPGs for thinking. Just because RPGs don't require fast reflexes (although some do), doesn't mean there isn't skill in it. Let's take World of Warcraft as an example, since it's the game most notorious for grinding. Sure, up to the level cap can be a grind (but not necessarily), but once you're there is a lot more to your character than just its level. You need to learn which tactics work for your character, form plans utilizing the whole party etc. The way I see it, comparing action games to RPGs is like comparing a scientist to an athlete. They both require skill and talent, but in completely different ways. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 14, 2012 But do RPGs honestly require that much skill? I haven't played all that many, mind you, but the ones I have, while definitely containing tactical elements, are still mostly about simply levelling up and/or getting powerful items. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 14, 2012 But do RPGs honestly require that much skill? I haven't played all that many, mind you, but the ones I have, while definitely containing tactical elements, are still mostly about simply levelling up and/or getting powerful items. Twitch skill isn't everything. Modern RPGs tend to have less linear progression systems, with Talents, Perks or systems like FFX's Sphere Grid. It's easy to be reductive and say that RPGs are all about menus, but aptitude in those games is more meta than your ability to select the right command: it's about creating synergy between your party and maximising their potential through an optimised pairing of equipment and character traits. In a lot of cases you can scrape through by turning to grinding, but I haven't played an RPG that required you to do so in many, many years. Grinding is the equivalent of turning down the difficulty. Part of the problem with involving RPGs in any discussion is that they're the most amorphous genre. If someone says "platformer" or "racing game" you have a pretty good idea of the mechanics involved, but "RPG" is such an odd umbrella term that its meaning is heavily diluted; Skyrim, Dark Souls, FFXIII, Yakuza 4 and Resonance of Fate are wildly divergent in their core mechanics, skill sets and appeal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
