History Main / SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer

* The NES games from the first ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing''.

* ''VideoGame/VoidStranger'' is best known amongst [[spoiler:shmup]] fans, particularly fans of [[spoiler:System Erasure's previous game ''VideoGame/ZeroRanger'']], for the late-game [[spoiler:''0st//ranger'']] minigame. [[spoiler:Some shmup fans wish that this game had a standalone release rather than having to push through a lengthy game in a different genre just to get to it.]]

* ''VideoGame/VoidStranger'' is best known amongst [[spoiler:shmup]] fans, particularly fans of [[spoiler:System Erasure's previous game ''VideoGame/ZeroRanger'']], for the late-game [[spoiler:''0st//ranger'' shmup minigame]] that is unlocked late into the story. [[spoiler:Some shmup fans wish that this game had a standalone release rather than having to push through a lengthy game in a different genre just to get to it.]]

* Averted in ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos Origins''. You'd be spending all your time at the coliseum if it weren't for the fact that you can only fight a few matches per class. Once you clear the class, you have to wait for the story to progress before you are notified you can continue fighting new coliseum matches.
* The FishingMiniGame in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIII'' and ''[[VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV IV]]'' could be pretty fun.
** As well as faerie raising.

** Averted in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and later. Due to EU anti-gambling laws, there aren't going to be any more Game Corners in the series, period. However, you do get to have your Mons perform in a musical.

* Creator/{{ProZD}} makes a joke about this trope in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq20WAuTUdQ Sidetracked by sidequests]]", where [[PlayerCharacter Dennis]] can't be bothered to play through the main story because he's too busy trying to find all of the game's pinecones. The joke returns in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4P2N5fyqbo facing the final boss after doing every single sidequest]]" where getting distracted by all of the game's sidequests results in Dennis [[AntiClimax one-shotting]] [[BigBad King Dragon]] because he's now overleveled. Oh, and [[BrickJoke he also found all 900 pinecones]].

** Although you do have to pay attention to the main storyline of the games eventually, you can waste an awful lot of time exploring/scanning what seems like every single planet in the known galaxy, if you'd like. This can lead to some rather funny MoodDissonance, as you immediately go from angrily telling someone you have to hurry, you have to save the galaxy... and then immediately hopping back in your spaceship to probe another couple dozen planets, and maybe leisurely explore an abandoned space station or two.

* ''VideoGame/FistOfTheNorthStarLostParadise'', having been made by the same developers as ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'', mainly focuses on the badass martial artist Kenshiro's quest to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but also features many of the same mini-games or rough equivalents (such as the batting cages replaced with swatting away motorcycling thugs with an iron beam), so it's easy to set the story aside as always. There are some exclusive ones as well, including working as a barman, helping Lin with her grocery business, treating patients in a hospital and even playing a copy of [[EmbeddedPrecursor Sega's first]] ''[[EmbeddedPrecursor Hokuto No Ken]]'' [[EmbeddedPrecursor game]].

* The ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series is most likely the king of this trope through its great efforts to represent urban Japan and all the attractions this includes. There are dozens of different minigames to play through, each wildly different. Batting cages, casino games, Japanese casino games (like cee-lo), mahjong, arcade games, even crane games where can win little stuffed toys. There's also an entire golfing game to play through, karaoke songs to sing, diners to visit for completion purposes, locations to try fishing, hostess parlors to visit (and ladies to woo), and more. Then there's also the arena to fight in. It's far too easy to simply sink in days and days and days worth of gaming time just getting sidetracked as you, a complete and utter badass Yakuza boss, play golf or try to win stuffed animals.

* ''Yakuza'''s [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Predecessor]], ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'', also featured a great many ways to waste time. You gotta go find your father's killer, but you'll likely end up getting sidetracked collecting ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' and ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' figurines from gumball machines, hitting up the slot machines, slumming it in the arcade playing ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' and ''Hang-On'', playing billiards and darts in seedy bars, unlocking duck races to bet on, and wait, weren't you suppose to go [[MemeticMutation asking about sailors]]?

* ''Yakuza'''s [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Predecessor]], ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'', also featured a great many ways to waste time. You gotta go find your father's killer, but you'll likely end up getting sidetracked collecting ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' figurines from gumball machines, hitting up the slot machines, slumming it in the arcade playing ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' and ''Hang-On'', playing billiards and darts in seedy bars, unlocking duck races to bet on, and wait, weren't you suppose to go [[MemeticMutation asking about sailors]]?

* Most recent ''VideoGame/NancyDrew'' PC games will have some type of arcade game in them and some hard to obtain prize and/or Easter egg (literally). Many players will get sidetracked halfway through the mystery because they want the prize, and then proceed to spend more time going after it than on the rest of the game overall. The box that's for sale for $99.90 and the rather addictive Land Rush minigame in Trail of the Twister stick out as the epitome of this trope, especially as it takes 50 to 75 plays on the arcade game to get the box.

** Adding to the list of open world games guilty of this trope, the ''Assassin's Creed'' series, as it's gone on has become less about pulling off assassinations and more about doing (X) for 100 percent "synchronization". Even free running from building to building counts as this trope. And every game starting with 2 usually has an in-game economy so it's usually to your benefit to stock up on money earned from treasure chests and carrying out assassination contracts. ''Brotherhood'' introduced the ability to recruit potential assassins and train them up through sending them on missions. There's also the fact that they can be useful for distracting guards in missions where 100 percent completion requires stealth. Also, did we mention this was the first game in the series to have an online multiplayer portion which in itself has become quite addicting? Lastly, starting with ''III'' it's actually very common for gamers to report that they spend more time sailing around the world or customizing their ship than they do playing through the main story.
** ''IV: Black Flag'' has, as collectible items: Animus Fragments, Sea Shanties, Treasure Chests, Treasure Maps, Manuscripts and Messages in Bottles. There are also 15 Mayan Stones to collect and 5 Templar Keys (each with around 4 mini-missions needed to obtain the key). You will need to hunt at least two of almost every animal to fully upgrade Edward (more to craft various outfits), and spend hours pirating around in order to obtain the materials and Reales needed to upgrade your ship. That's all before doing the Assassin and Naval contracts, the latter of which are unlocked by conquering the half-dozen or so Forts dotted around the Caribbean. None of these are required to complete the story (except for some ship upgrades), meaning you can spend ''days'' pillaging, plundering and exploring without progressing the plot by a second.

* In ''VideoGame/TheSims'', especially ''[[VideoGame/TheSims2 2]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheSims3 3]]'', and especially if you download [[GameMod custom content]], creating Sims and building and designing houses are often so fun people make Sims and houses they never actually play with. Some people end up creating beautifully decorated Sim houses which look almost like real people's houses, but unfortunately are totally uninhabitable by Sims. Downloading custom content on its own can have this effect too.

*** GTA Online itself is prone to distractions. In addition to all the things you can do in single player mode, the element of player interaction can make the game a {{Griefer}} paradise. After all, who can resist the urge to blow up someone else's expensive personalized car they spent 30 minutes customizing to their tastes while riding in a chopper or tank equipped with long range explosives and lock on targeting?

*** The snow boarding races with Yeto. Aside from being just fun to slide down a snowy mountain, his wife is quite the speedy racer. Expect to spend hours training to get all the shortcuts in order to beat her record time.

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' took this trope and made a game around it. It's supposed to be a ''GTA'' clone. In reality doing missions is just another minigame, along with customizing cars, buying bling for your avatar, spraying the streets with the contents of a septic truck against the clock, car surfing, flying under every bridge in town, landing on rooftops, then basejumping off and landing in the back seat of a gang vehicle (all of these unlock rewards), shooting other gangs from the window of said gang vehicle for a reward, putting out fires, [[NintendoHard towing hot cars]], playing a pimp (or ho), driving a celebrity's Bentley and running news vans off the road, taxi driving, jumping in the path of incoming cars for money, tagging, robbing stores, blowing up as much stuff as possible with an infinite ammo rocket launcher, throwing crazed fans into jet engines, engaging in fisticuffs, demolition derby, demolition derby with harvesting combines, street racing, jetski racing, doing stunt jumps, assassinating people and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking getting drunk or stoned]]... [[BreadEggsMilkSquick And streaking.]]

** The karaoke minigame in each nightclub has its share of players who won't put it down until they get 100% on each song. And the clubs themselves have flashy lighting effects and pulsing pop and hip hop music that makes it enticing to dance with the NPC clubgoers.

** The game tracks the "completion" percentage of each world you visit, with dozens of collectibles and CharacterCustomization options for Cal and BD-1 just waiting to be discovered. The game incentivizes backtracking to other worlds (after all, this is a {{Metroidvania}} title) to find the extra skins for Cal's clothing, BD-1, the ''Mantis'', the lightsaber parts and stim canister upgrades once you've unlocked the requisite Jedi abilities.

* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'' is either an overly dark, ContestedSequel to the original, or the most awesome video game guitar simulator, letting you play almost any song. Since the game's release, numerous videos have come out of people doing covers of various songs using the game.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series is most likely the king of this trope through its great efforts to represent urban Japan, and all the attractions this includes. There are dozens of different minigames to play through, each wildly different. Batting cages, casino games, Japanese casino games (like cee-lo), mahjong, arcade games, even crane games where can win little stuffed toys. There's also an entire golfing game to play through, karaoke songs to sing, diners to visit for completion purposes, locations to try fishing, hostess parlors to visit (and ladies to woo), and more. Then there's also the arena to fight in. It's far too easy to simply sink in days and days and days worth of gaming time just getting sidetracked as you, a complete and utter badass Yakuza boss, play golf or try to win stuffed animals.

** ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireDragonQuarter'' has an Ant colony you can raise, working in many of the same ways that the fairies do in ''III''. A much needed addition to a game where quite literally ''every step you walk'' is one step closer to your death. This makes returning to towns to restock on healing supplies and buying new armor and weapons that you couldn't afford the first time you got to the town quite risky to finishing the entire game.

** ''VideoGame/DarkCloud2'' gave you an option to take pictures of items and mix them to create possible new weapons. Cue every time you get to any new place, you whip out the camera and compulsively take pictures of everything and mixing them to get something new.

** The Monster Arena in ''VIII'' was also greatly expanded from ''III'', allowing the player to not only choose which monsters could fight, but also allowed the Hero to call your monster team in battle to fight for a few turns.

*** Raising specific Spirits is also '''required''' to unlock essential late game abilities like Second Chance and Once More, so devoting a decent amount of time to this feature is pretty much manditory unless you want to try beating this game's [[NintendoHard notoriously difficult]] [[ThatOneBoss/KingdomHearts endgame bosses]] [[SelfImposedChallenge without those abilities]]...

** New to the scene in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver HeartGold and SoulSilver]]'' is the "Voltorb Flip" game, which combines LuckBasedMission and AwesomenessByAnalysis. Your total coins can only go up, because you're not actually betting in this game. On the other hand, they compensate for this by making it take even longer to make just as much money as you could by SaveScumming the slots... which just results in even more incentive to play it for hours.

** ''VideoGame/Persona5'' ''[[UpdatedRerelease Royal]]'' also includes My Palace, a feature akin to ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates''' My Castle hub and is just as addictive. You could spend ''hours'' in this mode without even caring to think about the main game itself, endlessly toying with customizing with a massive virtual dollhouse. You can even play an ''TabletopGame/{{Uno}}''-like card game called Tycoon, which can get ridiculously addictive as well.

** ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheDivineForce'' introduces Es'owa, a board game that plays like a cross between [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dots_and_Boxes Dots & Boxes]] and a tabletop miniature game. Players can be found in almost every populated area in the game, and winning nets you money and figurines based on characters from previous ''Star Ocean'' games that not only are powerful pieces to use in Es'owa, but can be equipped as stat-boosting accessories.

** ''Abyss'' has a really weird mini-game in Nam Cobanda Isle, where you hit a bunch of spots with Meiu (panels on the floor, moving panels... that stuff), and you get points every time you do it, especially if you hit the panel that puts up the flags. It's terribly distracting, because if you leave the area, you have to start getting the 99999 points all over again, and you don't even get that great of a prize, other than saying you spent hours doing nothing. Also in Nam Cobanda Isle, you have Dragon Buster, and from it you can get TWO titles for Luke. THEN in Ketterburg, you have the casino, where you can choose to play Poker or Nephry Ball (which is essentially the lotto). With this, you get chips and can buy very unique items, almost all of which can only be found at the Casino.

** ''Soulcalibur III'' included a mode that allowed you a sort of turn based strategy, meets real time strategy, meets fighting! It was so interesting and well done, you could end up spending hours just trying to figure out new strats and different warriors to use to get through a section and either lose as few casualties as possible, or try to lose none at all (very difficult, especially early on). It also had the effect of unlocking various things in the game proper (such as new customization options... another sidetracking activity in itself). And the best part was if you enjoyed the fighting in the game, it used the conventional fighting of the game (rather than some weird hybrid version as was used in some of the ''Tekken'' side games) so it was the best of both worlds!

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Tobal}} Tobal No. 1]]'' was a unique take on fighting games set in 3D back in the early days of the genre. While it was unique enough on its own to be fun, it also included a rather hard dungeon exploration mode with randomly generated dungeons, monsters to fight that would test your skills (and were not just reskins of the fighters available) and was genuinely fun. After the fighting was done, you could count on hours and hours of replay in the dungeon.
* With the thousands of characters potentially available to use, ''VideoGame/{{MUGEN}}'' already makes for a big enough time-sink. Add in the nigh-limitless customization options you have via stages, soundtracks and graphics, and you can kiss your free time goodbye. And that's without even getting into the fact that with a little coding know-how and a lot of patience, you can create your own new content from scratch.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar'' had the ''VideoGame/NaziZombies'' unlockable survival mini game. Given this has online leaderboards and co-op multiplayer, one can literally spend hours playing sometimes instead of the normal modes. Then it got people [[GameMod making their own maps]] for the PC version... then it got three downloadable bonus maps to buy (or get for free [[RunningGag for the PC version]]), complete with traps such as electro-shock fences and swinging maces, and various power ups...

** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'' outdoes itself by giving us several further Nazi Zombies maps. The default one lets you play as Fidel Castro and JFK, then among the DLC maps there was Call of the Dead. What's Call of the Dead? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_15cQbbxsQ This]] is Call of the Dead.
* ''VideoGame/FarCry3'': Your girlfriend, your friends and your brother were all kidnapped by RuthlessModernPirates and are likely being tortured, raped and/or sold into slavery as we speak...but who cares about THEM? You've got animals to hunt, outposts to liberate, radio towers to find, screw around on jetskis and hangliders...

[[folder:LevelEditors]]
* Absolutely ANY games with {{Level Editor}}s and/or create a character modes. Seriously, any sandbox type game with these features (any theme park or rollercoaster game, ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}''), will have probably more people using the features than the single player mode, and for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'' alone there are a heck of a lot of people spending more time on the Stage Builder than the main game itself.

** The other edit modes are no slouch either, with the ability to create wrestlers, move sets, arenas, logos, et al becoming so vast 2K Games have to regularly cull those with low votes/downloads before their servers blow up. A casual search for Wrestling/JohnCena alone would reveal upwards of fifty ''pages'' of him, and if you can name a wrestler, character or real celebrity odds are there' not just one version of them but several.

* Every year, ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' celebrates [[SavingChristmas Crimbo]] with at least two weeks worth of dedicated content, during which most players' ascensions fall to the wayside. Other random events that eventually become [[PermanentlyMissableContent lost forever]] also become the distracting shiny, such as "Biggs' Digs" and the subsequent skeletal apocalypse in 2010.

* Similar to the ''City of Heroes'' example above, in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', players will often spend just as much time leveling their professions as they will actually leveling normally. It becomes really bad when one reaches the current end level content of the game, where gathering the materials and recipes necessary to improve your professions is actually tied directly to the high level daily quests and dungeons, making it almost a subversion of this trope. However, there are plenty of people who prefer simply loitering about the local auction house and simply buying whatever they need from the more active players, just so they can hang out in the Trade chat channel and barter their wares... you know, rather than actually play the game they spend real money on each month. On the other hand, players will also specifically create characters that just go out and gather materials so they can sell them to the higher level characters looking to improve their professions. This method is even recommended to beginning players, both so they can level faster without having to go out of their way to level their professions (purposefully subverting this trope) and so they can get a bit of extra money during their low level grind.
** The sheer number of quests, sidegames accessed by quests and achievements found in ''[=WoW=]'' can easily make you forget about that Arthas guy with the cool sword, or that dragon that wrecked Stormwind.
** The Darkmoon Faire is the most straight example, being an entire island dedicated solely to fun and merriment. It has a large variety of games to play and an increasingly massive number of prizes to be purchased, plus containing quests that help up level a character's profession points in adition to some extra game tokens and tickets (plus gold if you are at max level), so you also get an incentive to undust your alts.

* Way back in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' for the NES, if you played it two player, there was a version of the original ''VideoGame/MarioBros'' game (and, if you played enough times to get through the very long repeating rotation of modes, a couple of other two-player mini-games). You selected it by going to your "opponent"/co-player on the map, and clicking, or by clicking as they tried to run past you! Whoever won the mini-game got to have the next turn, and the players moved so that the winner got the location where the battle was fought. So (depending on where the players were on the map) you could be trapped in an endless cycle of battling to play the next level. Not to mention you could steal the emblems you win at the end of levels so you could also start a cycle to get those back.

** The ''Tower of Tragedy'' quiz and "shootout" modes in Banjo-Tooie'' are so neat, Rare includes them as their own mini-games. They're also ridiculously addictive, and make great multiplayer fodder.

** The single player campaign is generally quite well regarded as is, but the game is also known for its surprisingly solid four player multiplayer mode that is considered just as if not more fun than the main game.

** While the Qwark Vid-Comics are mandatory to complete the game, theyre so damn addictive due to their simple side-scrolling nature that you'll find yourself playing them far more often than needed. That [[NewGamePlus Challenge Mode]] offers big bolt rewards for collecting all the Qwark Tokens in them makes it even better.

** ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' marks a return of the ''Blue Sphere'' minigame as the bonus stages from reaching checkpoints with enough rings, [[spoiler:and beating all of them unlocks a mode similar to the stand-alone ''Blue Sphere'' game with randomly generated levels. It includes the variation with classic rules, and a "Mania" variant that adds two new types of spheres.]] The game also contains a minigame in the form of [[spoiler:a remake of ''Puyo Puyo''(/''Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine''), which can also be unlocked to be played at any time after clearing enough bonus stages.]] It's possible to get lost in either of these, spending game sessions not even touching the main platformer because of them.

* VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay: While no one's complaining about the solid single player campaign, the original game also includes a bunch of surprisingly robust and fun multiplayer modes (Beach, Raptor, Heist, War, Tank, Race and Deathmatch) that are all available right out of the starting gate, and they are considered to be just as fun, if not more fun than the main game, and being a UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 game, it supports four players off the bat, though they can also be played alone with reasonably intelligent AI opponents. In fact, when the Xbox remake ''Live & Reloaded'' only included one of the modes (a variant of the original games Deathmatch mode) and threw out the rest, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks it was considered a deal breaker for many fans of the original game]].

* The arenas from the Ratchet & Clank series. ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando'' features the Megacorp Games, and the ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal'' equivalent is Annihilation Nation. You're only required to do a couple of missions from each of them, but there's an insane amount of extra gauntlets, arena battles and boss fights to do at these arenas that don't move the story forward at all, but reward you with bolts, some optional items and in the case of Up Your Arsenal, experience. The arenas are so popular that ''VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked'' is basically just Annihilation Nation expanded into its own standalone game.

* The "Episode 3" update of ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'' introduces its own Golden Saucer in the form of the Casino Lobby, which features slot machines and a shooting gallery. Coins won from these games can not only be used to purchase novelty weapons, but can also be used to summon rare bosses in the game proper!

* One of the puzzles in ''VideoGame/TheFoolsErrand'' saw you challenged to a card game called 'Thoth'. It was an extremely simple game played with [[TarotMotifs the major arcana of the tarot]] where each player was dealt two cards (one face up so their opponent could see it, one face down so only they could see it) and three more cards were dealt out face-up- first you picked one card, then your opponent picked one. Each of you were attempting to complete a better Pair or Triple, with the winner of each hand scoring points based on how much better their hand was than their opponents, and the first to 700 points winning. Despite its simplicity (and the inherent advantage you had by always getting to pick a card first) the game had a surprising amount of depth. All you had to do to complete the puzzle was win once, but some people found themselves coming back and replaying it over and over again.

* ''VideoGame/ProjectGothamRacing 2'' featured a rather innocuous looking arcade-game box in each of your in-game garages. What should that box guard but the treasure that is ''VideoGame/GeometryWars''. Successful enough in its own right to sell well on Xbox Live Arcade, as well as spinning off a sequel and a [=WiiWare=] adaptation.

* EA Sports' ''NBA Live'' series, starting in 2005, includes the All-Star Weekend dunk contest as a mini-game. Doing 720 degree dunks is way more exciting than grinding out a full season.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' restores the battles on the world map, plus has the "Reeking Boxes" that allow the player to summon [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Risen]] to the map itself. ''HELLO GRINDING FOR GOLD, SUPPORTS, LEVEL-UPS AND SKILLS''.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' has the Gold Saucer ''being'' its HubLevel in the form of My Castle! Aside from the metric butt-ton of customization and upgrade options, you get to partake in the lottery, fight in the arena, cook to give stat bonuses to your units, decorating your soldiers with accessories, visit other castles to battle, trade, gain skills and buy items as part of ''Fates''' SocializationBonus, and visiting the sauna and [[AccidentalPervert occassionally (by accident)]] peeping on the opposite sex there. Because of the genuine perks associated with maintaining your hub world, the genuine fun involved and it's out-of-the-way presence compared to the main story (to the point that ''Fates'' willingly invokes GameplayAndStorySegregation to make the existence of My Castle mesh with the narrative, in a series that invokes GameplayAndStoryIntegration wherever possible) means it's not unheard of in the slightest to hear players rack up ''way'' more time in My Castle than the main campaign!
*** Plus, the ''Birthright'' and ''Revelations'' paths also have the random battles and the chance to use gold to find more enemies. Again, ''HELLO GRINDING FOR GOLD, SUPPORTS, LEVEL-UPS AND SKILLS''.

* In the Frozen Throne expansion of ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'', if you discover certain secret during a level, you get to enter a secret episode called "The Crossing" where your objective is to [[TowerDefense build different towers among a row to kill the waves of enemies trying to blow up a portal]]. It may be just one level, but you're likely to replay it over and over trying to survive the whole gauntlet of enemies.

** {{Game Mod}}s are another major draw for the series. The easy-to-learn and flexible "Construction Set" LevelEditor comes packed into the PC version of each game starting with ''Morrowind'', and the ''Elder Scrolls'' modding community is one of the most robust and industrious in gaming. The vast assortment of available mods can increase the content of each game thousands of times over. (And that doesn't even count the countless man hours spent creating the mods in the first place.)
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' actually implements the ability to wander around and complete quests away from the main quest as a storyline element. A large portion of the main quest can be legitimately ''skipped'' as long as you are at least level 21 and have 50+ reputation. (A formidable achievement if skipping the main quest, but quite possible if you fully complete several of the faction questlines.) If you meet this requirement, a NPC involved in the late main quest waives his usual demands to be acknowledged by seven different groups and allows you to meet with him directly.

*** On the PC version, there are a plethora of mods that change the interface, make aesthetic improvements, patch issues that Bethesda never got around to fixing, and, of course, add content. Many of these mods conflict with one another, and it tends to be a bad idea to enable or disable mods in the middle of a game, so it's all-too-easy to get into a cycle of downloading and installing mods for an hour, futzing with load orders for three hours, playing for two hours, running into a recurring crash or strange glitch or something that could be fixed by adding or subtracting another mod or two, so it's back to spending an hour downloading and installing mods, then three hours futzing with load orders...
*** ''Skyrim'' has a plethora of mods which can actually disable the main quest, remove your ability to shout, and dump you anywhere in ''Skyrim'', effectively erasing any and all ties you had to the original main quest (and the theme of the game).

** The third game has no such time limit until the final part of the main quest. It is very easy to get caught up in exploring and doing sidequests right from the moment you leave the vault, to the point which the player can hit the level cap before really beginning the main quest.

** The game offers up multiple casinos throughout the gameworld where you can while away the hours playing roulette, blackjack or slots -- even gaining "comp prizes" if you're good enough to win a certain amount of money off the games -- or you can lose all your money and have to walk back home with your tail between your legs (as is exemplified in-universe by the 188 Trading Post, where you'll meet gamblers who've lost their earnings and are trying to get their bearings again or raise cash to get back home). This even extends to the ''Dead Money'' DLC, where the Sierra Madre Casino has a full complement of games you can enjoy towards the end of the mod, and are even encouraged to spend as much time there as you can before completing the main plot, as you can no longer return once the DLC is complete and you head back to the Mojave. For the truly masochistic, on a new game you can start walking towards the Strip ([[SequenceBreaking mountaineering past]] [[BeefGate the Cazadores and Deathclaws]]), easily collect 2,000 caps on the way for the entry check, and spend the rest of the game gambling at slots, roulette, or blackjack, sleeping in the casinos and buying marked up food from casino bars, until you run out of money. Just like real life Vegas.

** The settlement-building mechanics can easily take up hours of your time as you work to make your settlements the perfect little homesteads in the wasteland. Even more, if you take into account time spent searching for resources to use to build your settlements.

** "Beating" everyone at the card game Pazaak takes even longer. Most Pazaak players will only play for a certain amount of time (generally until you've beaten them a certain number times in a row), after which they won't play for money anymore. Even with SaveScumming, each game can take a few minutes to play, and if you're trying to win five straight games or so with a dozen different people... well... you do the math!

** The "Search and Rescue" mode for ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' lends itself well to this trope. Instead of scanning planets for resources like in the previous game, the mode now gives players the chance to amass War Assets, money, artifacts and more.
** The ''Citadel'' DLC was made with this trope in mind. Once the main mission of the DLC is completed, a whole area of the Citadel opens up for the player, which is filled with many side activities (in a manner similar to ''[=FF7=]'''s Gold Saucer). This includes a casino with different games to bet on, an arcade (including a claw machine where you can win prizes) an apartment that can be customized and a combat simulator with a full set of sidequests and numerous high-level challenges. You also get the ability to throw a party for all of your surviving squadmates (and this party has several different variables based on the mood you set, lending itself to replays) and can hang out with your squadmates after the fact. [[BraggingRightsReward You can also challenge James to a pull-up challenge that has no reward]].
** The ''VideoGame/ExpandedGalaxyMod'' functionally turns the Normandy itself into a ''much'' more active hub area. The player now has access to a "Crew Manifest" mechanic where specialists and key personnel can be designated into specific roles, thus conferrng gameplay or visual benefits throughout the ship. A shooting range can be deployed in the armory, in which squadmates you've recruited will combat on your abilities and you can buy different sets of targets. A WallOfWeapons is also added, thus turning weapon acquisition into a CollectionSidequest. There are also new sets of collectibles (namely, support ships and mechs that can be displayed in the ''Normandy'''s cargo bay), as well as depreciable War Assets and Assignments peppered throughout the galaxy.

** Website/{{Fark}} has the same division, created when they offered, for $5/month to be able to see the links that weren't approved for the main page. Folks started submitting links which they specifically didn't want on the main page, just to be able to use the comments sections like a forum (Fark does not have a formal "forum", just a mass of rejected links). From that mass, the [=TotalFark=] community was born.
*** Not to mention dozens of other little splits and subgroups on Google Groups, Facebook groups, #fark (IRC). There's even people who, willingly, spend all their time on the Politics tab. Of a web site. On the Internet. '''Willingly.'''

* There has been some complaining by fans of the Source mod for ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' ''Zombie Master''; while the game ostensibly revolves around the titular Zombie Master-controlling zombies and activating traps like a RealTimeStrategy game while the rest of the players try to survive and complete the level, many servers play so-called "mini-game levels" that revolve around recreations of games like ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' or ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' or make an obstacle course (some of which have unavoidable traps that can only be dodged by faking out the Zombie Master). Complaints have been raised on the official forums over this apparent abandoning of the mod's intent.

* The title character of ''Webcomic/{{Maliki}}'' once tried VideoGame/BlackDesertOnline. She end up spending a week fishing.

** Pretty much every interactive Google Doodle counts. From those that hook you up for hours trying to play a song in them (Les Paul's guitar, Moog's synthsizer), to fun mini-games like daily ones of the London Olympics.

** As any high school student knows well, pressing up on the "No internet connection" page for Chrome (the one with the t-rex on it) gives you a tiny jumping game. Even your web browser is distracting you from your education.

* Tied to the above, procastination is one of most common symptoms of [=ADHD=], and you may get sidetracked by absolutely anything. Sure, you could and probably ''should'' be doing X, but Y is just so much more interesting.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series:

* ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'' has Tableturf Battle, a CardBattleGame side activity that doesn't even have its own selection option in the main HubWorld menu -- the player has to physically walk to the location if they want to battle NPCs. For some, the inconvenience is worth it, as Tableturf offers a lot of depth in deckbuilding and strategy, to the point where some players have reported spending more time on it than any of the main modes.

** The game also has [[BonusBoss bonus bosses]] that unlock after [[spoiler:Cal is rescued from the Haxion Brood arena]] -- a set of 12 bounty hunters that are placed in random spots throughout the available worlds. You could waste hours looking for them, and they don't award you anything but experience, but they're definitely worth seeking out.

* Creator/NipponIchi strategy games tend to fall into this trope due to the massive amounts of LevelGrinding it takes to tackle the BonusBoss battle(s); one cycle of the game is completable in twenty to thirty hours, but many more are required to acquire and power up that InfinityPlusOneSword.

*** In ''Dry Cereal'', SPY Fox can challenge Mr. Big Pig in a card game of "Go Fish". Many players tend to focus on this part of the game for a great while before continuing on with the story.

* After beating the first playthrough of ''VideoGame/AWitchsTale'', you get to play a game of Black Jack against all the other characters.

* ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' has a variety of mini-games you can find. Most are simple (like Tic-Tac-Toe), but one is a ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' spin-off with a thirteen-mission campaign. Hope you didn't opt for the time limit on the main game. The sequel has some as well, including an ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' clone that's several hours long. For extra coolness, play this while a hacked turret blazes away at foes.

* The ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' example is referenced in Season 2 skit of the ''Manga/PopTeamEpic'' anime, which doubles as one big gag taking a potshot at the infamous "Pray return to the Waking Sands" meme.

** Given the series' [[WideOpenSandbox large game worlds and non-linear nature]], this is naturally one of the driving design factors for each game. Sure, there is a deep main quest and LoadsAndLoadsOfSidequests (some of which, particularly the Guilds and Fations, with their own significant [[SidequestSidestory Sidequest Sidestories]]), but you can also spend dozens of hours reading the many [[Literature/TheElderScrollsInUniverseBooks in-game books]] (which range from [[FictionalDocument short stories]] to full-blown [[InGameNovel In-Game Novels]]), collecting [[PotionBrewingMechanic alchemy ingredients]], creating spells/enchanted items/custom weapons and armor, turning your [[AHomeOwnerIsYou player home]] into a SuperheroTrophyShelf full of your questing souvenirs (at least following the series' [[VideoGame3DLeap 3D Leap]], and much much more.

* In the Machinima/YogscastMinecraftSeries LetsPlay/SimonLane and LetsPlay/LewisBrindley are ''regularly'' distracted by shiny things, but at least getting better at actually running after them:

[[quoteright:276:[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SephirothCanWait.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:276:"Cloud, I know you're really into that snowboarding game, but can we please, please, '''''PLEASE''''' take some time to go out and stop [[BigBad Sephiroth]] from [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt destroying the world]]?"\\
[-[[https://www.deviantart.com/ahvia/art/SNOWBOARDING-121743512 Art]] by [[https://www.deviantart.com/ahvia Ahiva]]. Used with permission.-]]]

%% http://www.deviantart.com/art/SNOWBOARDING-121743512
%% Image by Ahvia (http://ahvia.deviantart.com/)

* General example: Procrastination. Admit it, you've played video games instead of doing your homework.