I dislike having to consciously go out of my way to level up in RPGs, especially when it is required for progression through the story. It's probably the reason why I have went off RPGs in general these days. I used to endure it in the past when I had a lot more free time on my hands, but I cannot afford to spend much time levelling up anymore.
The way I look at it is, level grinding is basically the same in most RPGs. You find an area containing enemies yielding high experience points, keep fighting said enemies using appropriate strategy and repeat ad infinitum until desired level is attained. Almost zero skill or critical thinking is required from the part of the player and yet the process usually takes long time. One can practically do this whilst in a semi-comatose state for hours if necessary as the process is almost passive. I believe that levelling up systems in RPGs should perhaps attempt to be more naturalistic in operation and ensure that the player should not have to "level grind" to finish a game or see all it has to offer. I feel that games should reward skill and progression on the part of the player, not the willingness to number crunch for hours on end. Although perhaps that is a critique of the RPG in general.
If you enjoy levelling, by all means, don't let me dissuade you! However, do you actually enjoy the levelling process, or just the levelling up effect that it produces?
