Something has been bothering me lately. I've been playing a lot of games lately, and since I've working on my own I've been paying more attention to game design. What has been bothering me can be summed up in the phrase "fetch that rock". In other words, someone standing next to you either notices or throws a rock, and then asks you to get it. Getting the rock is initially slightly satisfying, as you feel somewhat useful. However, when you are asked again "fetch that rock", how likely are you to go get the rock? Certainly, you would be less likely and willing to go get it.
In many role-playing games I've been playing, it seems that many side quests (and even mainline quests) are essentially "fetch the rock" adventures. You are asked to go get an item, go kill a monster, or go do blah and then return to the quest giver to claim your prize. Not only is this a boring exercise, but there are no repercussions to completing the adventure other than being awarded a junk prize. If I was asked in real life to kill a monster that was destroying a village, I would expect a parade in my honor, the keys to the city, and enough gold for me to retire. I would probably feel good that helped out and saved these people as well. Of course, I would expect it to be hard as nails to kill such a monster, and there would be a lot of risk involved.
In other words, there needs to be a legitimate reason for doing anything in the game, and I should be given the option to make a choice on the matter. I need not be persuaded to help a city in trouble, if I know the city will otherwise be wiped off the map. There truly needs to be implications for everything (or nearly everything) I do in the game. As a player, I need to care, I need to feel the weight of calculated risk, and I want to be the hero. If I want to be a coward and not help a city in trouble, when that city is destroyed, I want to be shamed publicly. Let me make that choice! What I don't want is another "rock" to fetch, so that I can claim a junk prize.
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