Farming is "supposed" to be fun if the developer is good. Look at Monster Hunter, it's basically farming a monster for drops for better equipment and you farm harder monsters with better equipment. Now look at Pokemon's farming, walk around a bush till you get an encounter and repeat until your level is high enough to challenge the route or the gym.
Some may say that Monster Hunter's farming is way too tedious since you sometimes need to do different stuff like aiming for the tail or breaking a monster's beak, head, etc. to get a certain drop. Others may say that Pokemon's farming is way too boring since you're just massacring a bunch of weak monsters that's not even fun (I'm looking at you zubat caves).
So don't fight about farming being hardcore or casual because it's supposed to be entertaining at the least and if it isn't, then it's either bad design or just not the game for you.