I don't think that the word "grind" is always used with a bad connotation. In every RPG I've ever played since the '80s, I found whatever the core loop was fun or not. And then used the word "grind" as a good thing if the core loop is compelling-- o…
And I think there's still plenty of gaming goodness out there. I get the sentiment, but I still find a few games a year that really fire up my imagination (plus, I make games, so I'm going to use this thread as a challenge...)