Forced grinding

Grinding is excessive repetitive gameplay doing things other than accomplishing the primary goal. If is often considered non-entertaining, unchallenging, and/or consisting of mindless tasks. Grinding is often a low-risk (or zero-risk) alternative way to accomplish non-primary goals. Rewards commonly include unlocking features, acquiring necessary skills or resources (including currency ), and general advancement.

Even though many players dislike grinding, it has some advantages, especially in persistent-world multiplayer games. Players who lack certain gameplay abilities, prefer not to take risks, or prefer to limit or avoid some mode of the game, can still accomplish goals, advance their character(s), unlock features, unlock skills, and be competitive with other players.

For publishers, grinding can keep players playing the game for longer periods. This means more payment from the players, if they use a pay-for-time model (including monthly subscriptions). Publishers sometimes also claim their game offers more to the player because required playing time is increased (ie: "over 40 hours of play").

Some games offer automated grinding. Some cheat applications will perform grinding for the player automatically. Sometimes grinding can be easily automated by using real word electronic or mechanical devices to generate input to the game without the presence of a real human player. For instance, most NES RPGs will advance the player if they simply walk back and forth in a random pressing the attack and cancel button in a simple pattern. Motorized Legos, Erector sets, or similar construction toys or other motorized devices can move around a U-Force controller to provide a working pattern. Such devices can be rigged to press directions and buttons or move a joystick control on standard controllers as well. Controllers with autofire (aka: turbo) can make this easier. For instance, Final Fantasy IV (FF3 in the US) will autogrind by moving the character into a random combat area, holding down left on controller 1, right on controller 2, and holding down autofire.

Implied: static character advancement

Not only is grinding possible, but it is NECESSARY to progress in the game's plot. Likely due to difficulty of the enemies increasing much more than what your characters can handle at a level they reach them without grinding. Meaning, compulsory battles are not enough to keep your character's good enough to handle the following challenges.

Generally only applicable if you can avoid doing things that grant you experience, such as avoiding fights, not doing side-quests, and so forth. Or the challenges faced until that point are completely inadequate to provide the levels needed to defeat the new enemies.

Most obvious case of forced grinding occurs when levels bring damage and armor stats and armor value is actually damage soak rather than resistance (flat reduction instead of percentage or chance). Even enforced minimum damage does little if most enemies have 500 health points and you can only do 1 damage to them, because your attack damage is 50 but their armor is 70 or much more. The next best weapon gives you only 10 extra damage, which means you're still 10 damage short to do more than 1 damage per hit, so you need to grind levels until your damage output actually reaches a point where you can defeat them. Alternatively this also includes your own armor, as the enemies may cause way too much damage to you until you reach certain level.

Similarly if player Needs better equipment to properly progress, but the game has not provided sufficient wealth by then, and player needs to grind to gain that money for the better equipment (repeatedly), then this applies as well.

Should only be considered for "normal" difficulty and not anything described as hard or harder than default (in case the default is already described as "hard"). Not for any new game+ games.