Grinding

Grinding is a common term used in discussion of role-playing games to describe the process of making the player-controlled characters in the game more powerful. This allows the player to continue completing objectives in the game which might not be achievable otherwise. Grinding is often viewed as a monotonous task which is necessary in order to fully enjoy certain parts of a game. It is typically viewed negatively by fans if there is perceived to be too much grinding in a game.

In Dragon Quest

In Dragon Quest, grinding most commonly refers to fighting monsters in order to gain experience. More experience allows characters to gain levels and thereby become more powerful in a variety of ways. However, it can also refer to any monotonous task such as collecting specific items, playing a mini game over and over, or completing some menial task repetitively.

Examples in the Dragon Quest series

• Fighting monsters in order to gain levels or earn gold
• Collecting alchemy ingredients to make specific items in Dragon Quest VIII and Dragon Quest IX.
• Playing any of the gambling mini games available in a variety of games in order to win certain items.
• Fighting monsters in the hope that they will drop a specific item after the battle.
• Fighting monsters in the hope that they will join the party in games where monster recruitment is possible.