In open-world games, focusing on triggering the spatial exploration of the environment is crucial for engaging player experiences. Triggering players’ spatial exploration can be achieved by evoking curiosity, a fundamental driving force behind game explorations. In this paper, we present the results of our pilot study in which we investigated the impact of secondary tasks, specifically coin collection, on player behavior and satisfaction within an open-world game. We used a procedural content generation algorithm to synthesize game levels with low and high spatial exploration targets. Later, we conducted a 2 (Spatial Exploration: low vs. high) × 2 (Coins: with vs. without) between-group study (N = 28) to validate how a secondary task (coin collection) could impact spatial exploration. Our findings reveal that the coins diminish players’ spatial exploration, as spatial exploration scores and visited occupied cells decreased. Surprisingly, players expressed higher personal gratification when engaged with levels designed with low spatial exploration targets compared to those with higher spatial exploration targets, challenging our initial assumptions. We plan to conduct a large-scale study to validate these initial observations and explore additional metrics influencing gameplay engagement. © 2024 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).