There is no standard for such. That idea came around during MMOs where people demanding they get a tit/tat reward for all the excessive grinding they did in their gaming.
This statement is simply not true. Boss fights and challenges have been rewarding player accomplishments with items for a very, very long time. The idea's been in Baldur's Gate, Ultima, Wizardry, Final Fantasy, game series that predated MMOs. And it's been in tabeltops before there were video games. Kill the dragon, get its horde. It's an idea as old as gaming. It's an idea as old as capitalism. Hell, it's an idea as old as *fairness*. People want something to show for their effort.
I think the reward of gaming is solid game mechanics and challenges of play, not shiny loot. Again, you seem to be arguing MMO design goals.
This would be a little more valid if A) This, as state before, isn't a concept inherent to MMOs, and B) Good equipment load out wasn't an integral part of the game. Equipment is necessary for a balanced and capable party, which means without a good loot system this game's mechanics aren't as solid as they could be.
I blame it on a degrading society of over nurtured children. It is the society of "participation trophies" that have resulted in the belief that without enormous praise and prizes, then something is not worthy of effort. The concept of "a hard days work is its own reward" is completely alien to them.
You don't seem to understand what a "participation trophy" is. A participation trophy is something you give players something for showing up and taking part. That would be the equivalent of giving the player loot or experience for loading up the game.
No one's arguing for that. What we want are rewards for actually, y'know, succeeding. Beating the boss, finding the secret, investing time and energy and thought into a task and being compensated for their efforts. And why shouldn't the winning team get trophies? Why shouldn't someone get paid for putting in a hard day's work. A hard day's work is its own reward? I'm sorry, but that's asinine elitism. You can keep that brand of masochism for yourself, because you will find very few supporters here or in the real world. Every good game offers rewards to its players. In early platformers it's a simple "congratulations" and a small ending sequence. In RPGs with loot systems, there's loot.
