What's more important — saving the world from impending doom, or rescuing the cat that's stuck at the top of a tree? Depending on who you ask, they might give you an answer you won't expect.
I'm not saying that we should ignore the kitty cats at all, but when you're presented with the dilemma of missing a quest that's simply about rescuing a tiny creature or venturing into the unknown to save the entire world, well, one of them is a more urgent and tempting prospect. Common in RPGs, open-world games, and adventure titles, sidequests offer up a plethora of activities that see you doing everything from collecting seashells to defeating dragons. Think of a random activity, — delivering a takeaway, doing the laundry, getting a haircut — and it's probably been a sidequest before.
Not all sidequests are equal. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is often regarded as the king of the sidequest, while something like Xenoblade Chronicles has one excellent quest for every 20 fetch-quests with minimal rewards.
In my opinion, it's not what you do that makes the sidequest worth it, but what happens in those quests. How it immerses you in this fictional world and enhances your experience. Sometimes, I don't mind doing 20 minutes of fishing, just so long as there is a really poignant and emotional story at the end of it. Admittedly, I am a bit of an apologist when it comes to side missions, particularly with RPGs. We've heard my ramblings about Xenoblade Chronicles 3's sidequests enough. But there are so many different kinds, with different rewards, that everyone will have different feelings.
However, I do think there are consistent elements that make a 'good sidequest' — and I'm not talking about tangible, physical rewards. Here are a handful of things that I greatly value in video game sidequests. Beware of spoilers for the games I discuss...