As new World of Warcraft content dawns in the form of a moderately priced expansion pack, I contemplate what factors the industry thrives on and which factors are tossed overboard. Obviously quests are extremely popular, as well as raiding, but those are really ornamental in perspective. Rather, the fundamental instrument in generating the appeal of massively multiplayer games is the grind, and the variable amount of times needed to conquer it. Obviously the previous statement is a juxtaposition of what so many online players complain about, but in reality it’s how the games thrive. Brilliant in its simplicity, the grind requires you to spend increasingly large amounts of time to achieve the next level of power for your character. Expletive ridden roadblocks such as xp loss due to death or xp debt constantly hinder the journey, but the destination lures the most dedicated with its siren song of glory. It’s a benchmark that defines the best players in MMO’s, and the first thing anybody will ask you about your character is if you’re maxed. The grind is inherently important, though how acute its presence is becomes more a matter of finesse than a sandwich spread approach. Guild Wars represents a rather meek grind, with the end level the product of a weeks worth of grinding. Though it’s touted by NCSoft that over a million accounts were logged, many of those lie dormant as players pursue more challenging fare, uninterested by the promise of unparalleled PVP options. In contrast, Lineage II represents the polar opposite, offering possibly the harshest grind ever to be visited upon the gaming masses. The vast majority falls in between, with WoW representing what is the penultimate commercial powerhouse of grinding. Without too harsh a grind, the game still feels rewarding for achieving the max level, and has helped the game achieved unparalleled popularity. The grind is, of course, nothing without the surrounding elements that give meaning to the grind, but without the grind these elements are a shadow of their potential. Having a system of play that rewards persistence is a boon to a persistent world where players are constantly driven by a need to compete with their neighbors. Though perceived as a detriment, the grind is nothing but for the massively multiplayer genre that thrives on it.