since the introduction of the ascended items, the game has been one big grind orgy of database entries. anyone who says otherwise obviously has a questionable perception.
for me, this is not necessarily problematic, as i can control myself and such things do not catch on with me. for many people, however, this is not the case, and they spend a lot of money or time to achieve these goals. too much time and too much money. arenanet uses people's evolutionary weaknesses here without regard for health or financial damage imho.