you defo have a point ike, and i think it's a pretty valid one. trying to create a constant stream of new and unique content is a major trap in game design, and it's something that ultimately doesn't even necessarily lead to a more compelling experience. really, though, i think we're talking about issues in pacing. i think a lot of designers deliberately craft grinding because it's a really easy way to slow down the pace of an RPG for a bit, but i don't think that's always a good choice.
it's good to avoid grinding as a fallback. or rather, it shouldn't be a primary aspect of gameplay, because by definition, grinding is repetitive. if a major part of your game is inherently repetitive, then at least some part of your game is going to feel very "samey" throughout the whole experience. this is pretty easy to avoid; don't make your main mechanics suck, and don't apply them in a bland and uninteresting way, and this shouldn't happen. (minecraft combat might be a good example of this, but you can compensate for that with interesting level and enemy design)
there is a definite need to split up the game and give players a chance to breathe, and grinding is a pretty good way to do that. however, i think it would be a bad idea to force players through it, because people like to play at their own pace. of course, as a designer, you have to be able to control the pace somehow, but i think this is absolutely possible through the way you design your world, levels, progression, combat, etc. you can slow down the game by giving players an out, letting them go back to town to level or something, giving them a nice hallway to walk down and rest in after fighting off some tough dudes, etc.
i think the souls games are pretty awesome examples of well-paced RPGs, and a lot of that pacing comes from smart level design, combat, and enemy AI. grinding is definitely possible in those games, and often times it's the best bet for progression, but i think the main difference is that the grind is entirely voluntary. it's a beneficial choice available to the player that they can choose to take as a temporary change of pace, and i think it's a particularly good way to do things because it's presented as an option rather than as a deliberate obstruction. a player would choose to grind on their terms if they believe that it's their best option to accomplish their own short-term obstacles. there's probably a lot to be learned from modded minecraft in this area too, but i've ranted enough about one kind of game.
i guess the main idea is that grinding should always be something tangential, an option that arises as a consequence of design choices rather than being a design choice on its own. which i guess sounds obvious now that i say it: it's a bad idea to intentionally craft repetitive gameplay. it's not, however, a bad idea to anticipate that players might decide to take this route on their own.
