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Level TreadmillThe level treadmill is a term used by fans of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) to describe the uninteresting gameplay of endlessly gaining experience points and levels by performing repetitive tasks. It compares this kind of play with exercise treadmills. This practice is also known as level grinding. It is one of the most common criticisms about MMORPGs. The most common form of level treadmill is the practice of killing monsters for experience points. The player constantly chases after the next level in order to be able to defeat the next slightly stronger monster. The outcome of MMORPG combat tends to depend more on the character's numerical statistics than the player's skill. Thus there is usually little for a player to do beyond clicking an attack button until he or she wins, or is forced to flee when nearing death. So whether fighting small rats or large demons, the player is performing essentially the same actions, the only difference being the larger numbers in his character and the monster's attributes. In other words, running forward while going nowhere, as on an exercise treadmill. Players often critcize level treadmills as an obvious method of requiring the player to play the game longer. They argue that the most interesting gameplay comes when their character is at the highest levels, where they can effectively participate in raids or player versus player combat. They believe that the MMORPG provider's motivation to add treadmills is to slow the time it takes to reach the highest levels so that the player pays more subscription fees along the way. Some enthusiasts of the genre have objected to the term level treadmill as an oversimplification of an MMORPG's gameplay. They argue that, like traditional role-playing games, there is no goal in MMORPGs other than to enjoy the experience. The IGDA Online Games Special Interest Group has noted that level treadmills are part of the addictive quality of MMORPGs that caters to those who play more than 25 hours a week (hardcore gamers). Gamers originally used the term catassing to describe someone who is obsessively playing an MMORPG. References - Dunin, Elonka (ed.). "IGDA Online Games White Paper, 2nd Edition - March 2003". (PDF)
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