If you consider yourself a gamer you may know quite a bit about side quests in video games, which are optional missions that branch off from the main storyline. You don’t have to do them to win the game, but they tend to add a lot of excitement for the player. Side quests are built with an understanding that players want different things from the same game; and in my opinion, this idea lends itself well to online learning. In this post I am going to explain what side quests are in the context of your course; why you may want to create a side quest in your course; why would your students complete side quests; and much more!