What makes a GOOD side quest in video games? And why have people been so critical of the recently released Final Fantasy XVI‘s side content? Using actual research on the necessary components of motivation and interest, I answer why we find some side content compelling (like in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, The Witcher 3, Elden Ring, and early Final Fantasy games), while we find other content downright boring. And there MIGHT be some praise for Chrono Trigger as well!
Editor-in-Chief of The Pixels, Wade (aka ProfNoctis) teaches and plays video games at the University of Alabama. His dissertation combined Judeo-Christian kingship and Final Fantasy XV. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, TikTok, and Twitch.
