For fighters/builders who say it would be too easy if they didn't have to grind for pixels, maybe it could be something optional or easily modded. Multiplayer servers who want "hardcore" difficulty can crank up 3d printing prices and overall pixel prices. But when I'm at home, alone, single player, offline, playing the game I paid for with my few precious hours of spare time, I don't want to spend them hunting monsters. I spend all day at work getting screamed at by small children, then negotiating and planning things with my boss during my unpaid time, then worrying about getting my visa approved, then making sure my student loan payments are going through okay, then fighting my way through the supermarket, then cleaning my apartment, then cooking myself some dinner, and then, only when all that is taken care of, I have an hour or two of freedom before I have to go to bed and start all over. I don't want to spend them grinding.
I really think that the more "hardcore" settings, requiring a lot of grinding and many hours of playtime, are more suited to younger gamers. I remember being sold on RPGs as a kid based on how many hours of content there was. Now I'm an adult. I have way too much other shit to worry about. I want to get to the meat of a game, enjoy it as much as possible in the small amount of time I have. So why not just make it an option? I'm sure there are plenty of gamers with loads of time to grind and fight and all that. But there are also plenty of gamers with very little time, who have just one or two favorite aspects of the game that they want to enjoy before they have to go argue with the bank about the extra fees they just decided to slap on to every transaction without warning.