If I had to pick one gaming genre that has defined me as a gamer, I would have to go with the JRPG. While I’ve loved titles that run the entire gaming gamut, from Super Mario Bros. 3 to GoldenEye, I’ve probably sunk more hours into JRPGs than any other genre. As such, I’m very well acquainted with the infamous gaming mechanic of the Grind, much to my own chagrin. I’m more of a story guy and, since I don’t have a lot of time to spend on games, I’m not someone who wants to wander aimlessly through an open field or trek the same dungeon repeatedly just to be sufficiently prepared to take on a boss. Don’t get me wrong, I want to be challenged, but I don’t want that challenge to be how long can I endure tedium in order to be able to have the right stats to survive a boss.

However, the recent release of Dragon Quest IX got me thinking about the Grind. I am both simultaneously pleased and disturbed that the game has accomplished what I thought to be an impossible feat: it has made me enjoy the Grind. Craziness, you might say! I agree! When I realized I was actually looking forward to turning on the game just to level up my characters, I was shocked and intrigued. It got me thinking what was it about Dragon Quest IX’s approach to the Grind that had yielded this result. It also started me thinking about what this means about Grinding in not just gaming, but in life. So pull up a chair, pour a beer, and learn how you to can learn to like the Grind.



As I said before, I hated the Grind whenever it would rear its head in games prior to Dragon Quest IX. In fact, it actually killed my interest in its predecessor! There was one point in the game where you fight a character that has been posited as the main villain (who knew if he really was though) and the difficulty just spikes through the roof for no reason. It was so obvious I would have to do some ridiculous grinding to get the right combo of skills and levels that I just completely lost interest. I haven’t picked the game up since.

Now along comes Dragon Quest IX, which (so far) has not elicited the same disappointed response from me. In fact, I actually look forward more and more to playing it. A quick comparison of the two titles yields some insight into what (for me at least) can make the Grind more of a joy and less of a chore. The first, and most obvious, is that the Grind should be optional. Demanding that the player remove themselves from the flow of the game’s narrative, or simply break the pacing that has been set for the game’s progression, is disruptive and inspires resent on the part of the player. However, giving the player the option to do so and making it worth their while is a different story. Dragon Quest IX offers the player an array of fun optional classes that are acquired throughout the game, but you have to start from level 1 if you want to switch to them. You can do just fine with the original six classes available at the game’s outset (at least far as I’ve gotten in the game), but if you want to get good at these new ones you’re going to have to deal with a little Grind.

This brings us to a second necessary component for an enjoyable Grind; lots of short-term gratification. It’s this aspect that makes me think Dragon Quest IX may have one of the most brilliant leveling schemes known to man. After a battle, experience points are divided up among the party members based on level. Higher-level characters get more of a share than lower-level characters. At first glance, I assumed this was simply to prevent power-leveling in the game’s multiplayer. However, as I began to experiment with newer classes (and therefore had some characters at Level Awesome and others at Level Noob), I realized it also had utility for a single-player party. Level Noob characters will still increase at a faster right if they’re in a party with Level Awesome characters, but the portioned experience mechanic makes sure leveling continues at a measured pace. Instead of giving you a rush of new levels at the beginning followed by a slow crawl, the game gives you a constant drip of leveling. Additionally, it also encourages the player to take the risk of actually progressing in the game with a party that contains a significant level disparity, since the player will want to get these lower level characters more experience offered from stronger monsters. That’s right: the game actually encourages you to stop the mindless Grind and instead try a more difficult, risky Grind.



Finally, it also helps that Dragon Quest IX is a portable title. It was a shocking move when Square-Enix first announced this break with tradition, but it has resulted in some fantastic improvements to the series. In addition to the multiplayer and wi-fi add-ons, it has resulted in a game that was designed to be played in shorter sessions. This includes the Grind! A Grind is much more enjoyable when it is done in bite-sized chunks. Instead of knowing that I’ll be sitting down for an hour or two to Grind away (hello MMOs!), I can whip out my DS when I’m waiting for my Double-Double at In-N-Out and go through a good amount of battling. The game can be picked up and stopped at a moment’s notice with the help of the game’s quick save feature, as well as the DS’ own clamshell pausing feature.

Anyway, as I was mulling all of this over, I realized that this says a lot about the Grind in real life. This is probably obvious to many of you, but for some reason I’ve only just now had this epiphany. When dealing with chores, errands or a job, taking the Dragon Quest IX approach can make a difference. First, it’s always better if it’s optional. I realize that may not always be an option (oh I crack me up), but if possible try and do the task when it’s most convenient for you or you feel energized for it. For example, I personally always do most chores and errands on the weekend, because it makes me feel productive. I don’t do them on weeknights because I already feel like I’ve been working away in the lab. I’m making the choice to do the task then instead of feeling like I have to. 

Second, some sort of measured gratification for the task always helps. It’s that whole carrot-stick argument. Knowing that there will be some sort of feeling of progress (it doesn’t have to be a reward, per se) helps get stuff done. It’s one of the reasons, I think at least, why people find sticking to a diet or working out to be so difficult. You want results now, but it usually takes weeks for your waistline to start showing a real decrease or your muscles to have definition. On the flip side, it’s why people people will put off larger tasks for smaller ones, because the small ones can be done quickly and give one the feeling of progress. Therefore, giving yourself milestones that break up a big endeavor can really help. Just like in Dragon Quest IX, getting measured reminders over relatively short periods of time that you’re getting closer to your goal is going to keep encouraging you.



Oddly enough, as I was mulling over this entry, I saw an older article from Jordan Devore about an upcoming iPhone to-do list app called EpicWin, which essentially seeks to turn your real-life Grind into an RPG Grind. As such, chores and tasks that you do translate into rewards for your character, such as experience and items. It’s an interesting idea to use the mechanics that entice a player to do the Grind in a game to do the Grind in their daily lives. However, as Dragon Quest IX has demonstrated, there is a fine art to making the Grind less of a chore and more of a joy. I personally will be interested to see how much EpicWin makes me look forward to cleaning the bathroom.