Side Quests Are Better in Multiplayer Mode
Solo side quests are fun. Recurring side quests with the same people? Life-changing.
In college, I started a spirit squad. It wasn’t part of my major, it wasn’t required—it was just this thing I wanted to do. Girls from all different disciplines showed up. We practiced together. Performed together. Bonded over inside jokes and bad choreography. When we eventually disbanded, a lot of us stayed in touch.
I didn’t join to make friends. I joined because I wanted to cheer. The friendships were the side quest reward.
And honestly? I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since. That ease of connection. That accidental intimacy. The way strangers became people I’d text at 2am. Adult life doesn’t hand you those opportunities the way college does—you have to build them yourself.
Everyone’s talking about side quests right now. Go to that pottery class. Try that new coffee shop. Learn bass guitar. Explore your city. Get your motorcycle license. And I love it—I really do. Breaking routine, trying new things, combating burnout? Yes. All of it.
But here’s what I keep noticing: most of the content is about solo side quests. Take yourself on a date. Explore alone. Do the thing by yourself.
And those are good. They’re fun. They’re Instagram-worthy. But they won’t fix the loneliness part.
The side quests that actually change your life? The ones you do with other people. Repeatedly. Until community happens accidentally.
Side quests are better in multiplayer mode.
What I’ve Learned About Accidentally Building Community Through Side Quests
→ Pick a side quest that’s repeatable, not one-and-done.
The pottery class you take once is fun. The pottery class you take every Tuesday for three months is where friendships form. You need repetition. You need the same faces showing up. That’s how strangers become people you actually know.
→ Commit to it for at least 8 weeks before you decide if you like the people.
The first meeting is always awkward. The second meeting is still a little weird. By week three, someone makes a joke that lands. By week six, you have inside references. By week eight, you’re texting outside of the thing. Give it time. Community doesn’t happen in week one.
→ Pick something that naturally requires or invites other people.
Solo side quests are harder to turn into multiplayer experiences. But things like board game nights, pickup sports, book clubs, group fitness, cooking for a crowd—these are built for community. The activity itself creates the excuse to gather.
→ Show up even when you don’t feel like it.
This is the big one. The weeks you almost cancel but show up anyway? Those are the weeks that matter most. Consistency is how you go from “that person who sometimes comes” to “wait, where were you last week?” That’s when you know you’re part of something.
→ Let the side quest be mediocre.
You’re not trying to be good at pottery. You’re not trying to master the book club picks. You’re not trying to win at pickleball. You’re trying to be around people, doing something together, regularly. The activity is just the excuse. Lower the stakes. Raise the frequency.
→ Invite loose acquaintances, not just close friends.
Your close friends already have their own routines. But that coworker you kind of vibe with? That friend-of-a-friend who seems cool? That person you see at the coffee shop sometimes? Those are your people. Weak ties become strong ties through repeated, low-pressure hangouts.
→ The magic is in the mundane.
The best side quests aren’t exotic or impressive. They’re just... regular. Same time. Same place. Same people. Coffee before work. Game night every Friday. Walk in the park every Sunday morning. The ordinariness is the point. That’s where real connection lives.
Every meaningful friendship I have came from showing up to the same thing, repeatedly, until strangers became people I texted about nothing. Spirit squad in college. Tuesday lunch tables. Thursday morning runs. None of it was intentional. All of it was accidental.
That’s what we’re building at CREEW—recurring side quests where community happens accidentally. Weekly sculpting. Monthly music rituals. Career circles. Crochet clubs. Mommy & Me gatherings. Not one-off events. Rituals. The same people, the same rhythm, until strangers become friends.
Drop a comment with the side quest you’re already doing—or the one you want to start.
Because the best communities aren’t built on purpose.
They’re built accidentally, through side quests with people.