Self-help for sidequesting people

I realized with a dumb feeling of enlightenment the similarities of the way I err through the landscapes of this earth and - computer games. I stop, look and listen, move around, add detail to the map in my head, make connections, optimize ways (after a while of stumbling around) and try to break down barriers that block my learning and understanding. Granted, computer games are more about locating objects and beating up monsters than research or craft. Yet, there is this thing about the main quest and sidequests. Let's save the inquiry as to what the main quest in life is. In computer games, sidequests are interesting, because they let you wander and experience the game world. The experience leads to better training and a deeper understanding of entities of the game world and their connection to each other. It's possible to speed-run through a game and solve the main quest in a short time, but you'd miss out, wouldn't you.