History Main / EarnYourFun

* ''VideoGame/{{Cataclysm}}: Dark Days Ahead'' is more realistic than most games, requiring to take care of not just [[WizardNeedsFoodBadly hunger]], but also thirst, basing inventory capacity on both weight and volume (and wearing larger packs gives large penalties), requiring you to change clothes depending on ambient heat, and having a ton of controls that need to be memorized. You can play for months before getting into things like vehicle construction (which requires you to find a lot of specific items, but is immensely rewarding), dungeon exploration, or reaching the Refugee Center. Add in that it's a {{roguelike}} with simplistic (and optional) graphics and permadeath, and you've got a game that requires a lot of getting used to, but is worth getting used to.

* In ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'', apart from honing your skills to a keen edge the only way to progress through the game and access the higher-tiered content is to get stronger weapons and/or armor sets. And how do you do that? A lengthy, often painful grind involving hunting increasingly stronger monsters and obtaining materials from them, with some of the more powerful weapon upgrades only obtainable via super rare mats like Gems and Mantles. Want that high-damage Hammer or pair of awesome Dual Blades? Then suit up and be prepared to track your quarry.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' qualifies, because the only way to really spice up the gameplay is to get more fun weapon and armor sets, and how do you do that? Lots and lots of grinding, with some of the more fun weapons coming from super rare (2-3% drop-rate, for monsters that take anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes to down) or tough monsters, or super rare drops off very tough monsters (hello, SkyPiercer).

* ''[[StreetsOfRage Streets of Rage 3]]'' has this if you play on Easy difficulty. If you try to beat the game on Easy, you get treated to a bad ending where the real Mr. X isn't found and you get mocked for "playing this game like a beginner." It doesn't help that compared to the Japanese version, the North American version is actually more difficult by increasing damage from enemies (Japanese version doesn't do this) and the Japanese version even lets you beat the game on Easy. If you weren't good enough to survive the game on Normal, you would probably never see the last two levels or the other endings.

* ''MonsterHunter'' qualifies, because the only way to really spice up the gameplay is to get more fun weapon and armor sets, and how do you do that? Lots and lots of grinding, with some of the more fun weapons coming from super rare (2-3% drop-rate, for monsters that take anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes to down) or tough monsters, or super rare drops off very tough monsters (hello, SkyPiercer).

* ''VideoGame/{{DJMAX}}:

** Similarly, ''DJMAX Portable 3'' requires you to grind levels to unlock 6.2 Tracks mode or set the game difficulty to Hard.

* ''VideoGame/{{DJMAX}} Online'' required you to grind levels to play harder songs.

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'': every automated farm, redstone computer, and golden pyramid built in survival mode begins with a player punching trees and hiding from the zombie hordes in a dirt shack.

* ''AlienVsPredator'': Cheat mode essentially disables progress and your ability to save, and unlocking all the bonus levels requires you to beat the game in Director's Cut mode.

* This is ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter''[='=]s entire M.O.; the game almost never gives you good weapons or especially armor sets with no effort. No, you have to [[ItemCrafting farm the items needed to craft your new equipment]]. Even the DLC quests in later games require you to farm a special quest multiple times to be able to get tickets necessary for exclusive gear.

* ''{{Everquest}}'', and almost every other MMORPG, features large amounts of level grinding, much of which is highly repetitive and against frankly unheroic opponents. There are also many very powerful items with low [[RandomlyDrops drop percentages]], and almost all loot is random anyway.
** ''AtlanticaOnline'' seems to avert it initially, but this trope plays straight once you reach triple-digit levels, where succeeding in any content without use of items bought for real money (by you or someone else) is nearly impossible. It gets worse the higher you go.
** ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft World of Warcraft]]'' has gotten better over the years. In the original release, the most interesting dungeons, strongest rewards, and best stoylines were generally reserved for levels 50 and above. And even at that level, to get into the best dungeons and raids would require intense personal farming of rep, gear, and attunement quests.

* ''{{DJMAX}} Online'' required you to grind levels to play harder songs.

* The game takes a while to get to any real gameplay. That's ItGetsBetter.

** In both ''Dota 2'' and ''LeagueOfLegends'' it is not uncommon for teams to report the worst player on their team for "griefing", which eventually leads to punishment. That's right, learn to play or get your account banned (to be fair, the punishment in ''Dota 2'' isn't all that bad while in ''League'' it requires a ton of reports).

* ''[[VideoGame/GoldenEye1997 Goldeneye 007]]'' and its spiritual successor ''PerfectDark'', unlike most games, require the player to actually earn cheats by completing missions under a certain time limit. Some are rather forgiving, others... *[[CoughSnarkCough coughfacilitycough]]* will have you sprinting through the level, the guards peppering your back with lead only serving to propel you even faster. However, ''Goldeneye'' left in debug codes that you could put in and breeze through a level with no consequences. Shame on you. Unfortunately, there was no code to make [[EscortMission Natalya]] invincible.

* {{Super Metroid}} You have some special moves that are not listed on the manual, such as walljump (but the game "tries" to teach you, but you will never be presented to bomb jumping, shinespark diagonally or horizontally, cristal flash and some other moves. Also, the routes are hard and no one tells you where to go, but the game is far from being hard just for being hard.

* ''[=AeternoBlade=]'' feels like a very generic Metroidvania until all pieces of the titular blade are recovered about halfway through the game and the time warp mechanics open up the world and make the game far more unique and fun.

* {{Minecraft}} may be one of the finest examples of this trope known to man: every automated farm, redstone computer, and golden pyramid built in survival mode begins with a player punching trees and hiding from the zombie hordes in a dirt shack.

* In ''DefenseOfTheAncients'' and especially ''Dota 2'', being bad at the game will lead to your loss - but you don't just lose, that wouldn't be hardcore enough. Instead you are at the mercy of the other team to decide to stop killing you over and over and ''win'' already. Of course, the other team has no incentive to win the game, because then the fun stops. Why is it worse in ''Dota 2''? Because the game has no concede option but does have a penalty for leaving; ''Dota'' public games had neither while (third party) league games typically had both. Also, the absence of a ladder in ''Dota 2'' removes all incentives to actually win the match, making the entire game about trying to humiliate the opponent and drag out their suffering and wasted time.
** Of course, when you do get better, you can then do it to the enemy team every once in a while. Taunt the opponents with "gg noobs" or "too easy" for the maximum amount of fun units.