Side Quests & Bonus Objectives

Author’s Note: I started writing this back when I was planning to do a series of posts on video games/gaming culture. I don’t know how consistently I’ll stick to that theme, but I’m committed to following through on what I said last week.
It felt good to finish the post and click publish, just like I said I would. 🙂

We all know the feeling, gamers. You finally beat that level (or mission or whatever tf) that took way longer than it should’ve. The light at the end of the tunnel turned out to be the dim glow of your monitor displaying the “mission complete” screen.

Is the sigh that escapes you one of frustrated relief? Or perhaps pride in your accomplishment?

Either way, the emotion is cut off before you can fully process it, as you notice an empty checkbox on the screen. To the right of the unchecked box is some text that says something like “Collect all the shiny things in the level”, “Complete the level in under 10 minutes”, or maybe “Do it again but this you have to carry a big rock from the beginning to the end”.

To us gamers, this experience is basically the equivalent of getting inducted into the baseball hall of fame with an asterisk next to your name. But unlike Barry Bonds, you have the chance to erase that asterisk. Barry can’t go back and undo the steroids, but you can play that level until your fingers bleed. So, what do you do?

Do you move on to the next mission, or maybe take a shower or something? Do you leave that screen and leave that 6th checkbox empty—absent of a checkmark? Or are you going to play that annoying level again and again until you earn that 6th checkmark?

Personally, I go back and forth. I’m more likely to do bonus objectives and side quests with good rewards. Maybe the reward is a cute costume, a better sword or a new ability of some kind. Sometimes the quest itself is the reward, because it explores an interesting side-plot or some fun characters. I always love to meet a funny little guy in a game—can’t get enough of ’em.

Recently, in the meat world (IRL), I’ve found myself lacking motivation to do almost any optional objectives. I’ve found a mostly comfortable routine, and trying to add anything new to that routine often feels like a very daunting task.

There are a lot of things I wish were more routine for me, like grocery shopping and cooking. To me, “routine” means “part of the plan”, “automatic” and “I don’t have to think about it”. My knack for overthink and catastrophizing gives me a distaste towards changes in plans.

But some video games will bring out a different side of me, like an antithesis to the routine-craving pessimist side. With each new side quest or bonus objective I find, I want to tackle it right away. Pokemon Legends Arceus is definitely one of those games.
Spoilers below, in case you care.

I’ll play for 3 hours, making 0 progress in the main story. But when I look at the side quest list and see all those checkmarks, it feels great. What causes that feeling?

Why do I like side quests in games? And can that answer make me better at all my IRL side quests, like grocery shopping and laundry?

Well, I’ve already mentioned rewards for side quests above. Aside from the checkmarks, most requests in the game also reward you with items/resources, or access to new areas and Pokemon. Plus, I just like running around in the game and looking at the world.

But I think part of my willingness to mix it up when gaming is because it’s smaller changes in plans. Doing a spur of the moment side quest means I press buttons and stare at a screen in a different way than I had initially planned, but I’m still just pressing buttons and staring at a screen.

So there are lots of reasons why side quests in games are fun, or at least worth doing. Ultimately, I found that at least 2 of them applied to real life:

1. Better Stats – In most of the games I play, doing side quests gives you improved stats. Either you gain experience points towards leveling up, or maybe you gain better resources or items, allowing you to perform better in game.
As I’ve established before, there’s no IRL experience bar. However, you can still improve your stats IRL. Some stats are easy to measure in numbers, like height and weight, or 40-yard-dash time, or standardized test scores. But those stats aren’t affected by every side quest—a clean room probably won’t help you increase your squat PR.
Sometimes the stat improvement will just be a feeling. Maybe you’ll feel stronger, smarter, or even an increase in the most important stats: happiness and self-worth.

2. Get Your Money’s Worth – Most brand-new video games cost roughly $60. And ideally, each one will provide $60 worth of fun for whomever purchases it. Obviously, that’s not always the case, because some games suck! If I’m not enjoying a game, I don’t want to play through all of the bonus content—I’d rather just play a different game.
Real life costs a different amount depending on who you are and where you live, but it’s definitely a lot more than $60. And when I’m not having fun with my life, “play a different one” doesn’t feel like a great solution.
I’m pretty much stuck with the one life I have, and it really sucks sometimes. The pacing, especially, could use some work. The bad parts feel too long, and the good parts are over so quickly. Plus, none of it is going to last. All the resources and stats I grind for are destined to slowly atrophy to nothing over time, so maybe there’s no point to doing any extra content after all? Maybe I should’ve only chosen one reason.
This really backfired on me

But actually, there is a resource that won’t go away: memories. Don’t believe me? What about when you’re trying to fall asleep, and you remember some embarrassing outfit you wore in middle school? Or saying “you, too” to a cashier who tells you to have a good lunch? Those memories stick with you, baby, maybe forever!

So here’s the strat: Make new, more fun memories to compete with the annoying ones. Play the hand/game you’re dealt the best you can, and try to have some fun.

Routines are comfortable, easy and safe. Adding something extra can seem unnecessary. But each time you do a side quest, try something new, or even just do something out of the ordinary or on a whim, it’s going to be more memorable than just doing the same old thing.

I can look back on unhappy periods of my life, sometimes weeks, sometimes months or more, and have no single memory other than a general feeling of unhappiness. Just going through the motions of my routine.

There are also moments and split seconds, from early childhood to even a few days ago, that I can remember every detail from. Some of those memories are happy, some are sad. So many leave me questioning why I remember them at all. But each memory I have is proof that life does mean something.

I’m not planning on one-hundred-percent-ing life, but I’ve been trying to do more side-content to create more memories. Not every bonus objective I have is terribly rewarding, and not all of them are fun or exciting. Several are real chores, if you know what I mean. But for each item on the list, even the less rewarding ones, I still get the satisfaction of knowing that I found an objective, a goal, a purpose, and accomplished it.

And you know what that means, baby: that sweet, sweet checkmark.

Thanks for reading 🙂
Love, Josh