History MundaneUtility / Videogames

* In the mobile TimeManagementGame ''VideoGame/PotionPunch'', you use a variety of magical creatures to help you run a shop. For example, in the first location you have a slew of baby dragons you use to grill fish. Later, you can also summon spirits of legendary heroes to assist you with shopkeeping. For example, one of these heroes is a dragon tamer queen, who uses her powers so the aforementioned baby dragons don't overcook the fish.

** You can see a lot of the campers abusing their powers. Nils the CasanovaWannabe can be seen early on using clairvoyance to practice spying on the girl's cabin using a squirrel and an acorn, Milka, an extreme wallflower, uses invisibility to escape from awkward situations, and Elka uses her foresight to look into the future of her love life. And then of course, there's Cruller's subversion of ComesGreatResponsibility:
--> '''Cruller''': You have to promise to use this only when it's really important or [[ForTheLulz really, really funny.]]

** In ''VideoGame/StarCraftI'', a demolition squad carries a nuke to a zerg infested installation in a large cooling box filled with ice to prevent it from overheating. The box also has beercans. [[OneLastSmoke They open up the cans and have a drink]] allowing the zergs to attack them. [[spoiler:They still get the nuke off.]]
-->''"Thank God for cold fusion!"''

--->'''Obi-wan:''' Some Jedi are known to shave with their laser swords.\\

'''Obi-wan:''' Yes. And a head still attached to my neck.

--> "...Seriously now?"

** ''Citadel'' also mentions a sport called biotiball, which from the sounds of it is basketball with biotics. [[WitchSpecies Asari]] largely have a lock on the sport, but humanity has several well established teams despite their oldest biotics being 32-33 at the start of the series.

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'': in a heart-to-heart between Reyn and [[FanNickname Seven]], it is mentioned that Reyn once tried to use the Monado to cut vegetables.

* ''VideoGameNeverwinterNights'':
** In the original ''NeverwinterNights'':

** You can see a lot of the campers abusing their powers, Nils the CasanovaWannabe can be seen early on using clairvoyance to practice spying on the girl's cabin using a squirrel and an acorn, Milka, an extreme wallflower, uses invisibility to escape from awkward situations, and Elka uses her foresight to look into the future of her love life. And then of course, there's Cruller's subversion of ComesGreatResponsibility:

* One early mission in ''VideoGame/SpiderManMilesMorales'' has Miles use his newly-discovered ability to produce thousands of volts of lethal electricity within a second... to restore power to his apartment building after it goes out.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{inFamous}}'' series, protagonist Cole [=MacGrath=] frequently uses his powerful [[ShockAndAwe electric abilities]] to recharge batteries and other electronics. Hell, Cole and his best friend Zeke tried to set up a business after Cole discovered his powers and the quarantine was set up where Cole would charge up batteries in exchange for food. This backfired because [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome people were naturally terrified of his powers]].

* In ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'', a lot of Psynergy falls into UtilityMagic, but some spells simply have Mundane Utility. Whirlwind can be used to clear away vines obstructing goals (or set dangling chains/vines/ropes in motion for some swinging); Frost can be used to bridge gaps by turning a puddle of water into a giant ice pillar; Growth can be used to turn random sprouts into climbable vines.
** In ''The Lost Age'', a baby girl in a house in Contigo can be seen using Whirlwind to cool off in the hot weather.
** ''[[VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn Dark Dawn]]'''s version of the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Sol Blade]] explodes into fire, calls meteors from the heavens... and opens the door to the bonus dungeons.
* In ''VideoGame/SNKGalsFighters'', the prize for winning the fighting tournament is a talisman that will grant a single wish. Most of the endings result in the winner wishing for something relatively mundane (Athena wishes for her long hair back, Leona wishes away a toothache, etc.). The most JustForFun/{{egregious}} example has to be Shermie, who wishes for a larger hamster cage for her pregnant pet rather than summoning Orochi. Yashiro even points this out to her.
* ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'':
** There is an NPC named Mrs. Orange, who uses ''Shun Goku Satsu'' (A.K.A. ''Instant Hell Murder'' A.K.A. ''Raging Demon'' A.K.A [[ShoutOut Akuma's signature move]] from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'') to make cakes. And they're ''delicious''.
** Ammy herself gains a wide range of elemental-based, borderline RealityWarper abilities. One of the very first things she does with the power to ''make the sun come closer to the Earth''? Helping the aforementioned Mrs. Orange ''dry her laundry''. Most likely, were she not the Goddess of the Sun, the world would've been engulfed in flames.
*** She also uses the Whirlwind skill to help a sushi chef carve up a fish, and Fireburst to light the fire for another chef's oven. And Cherry Bomb levels 2 and 3 just to cheer up the pyrotechnician.
* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'':
** Marisa Kirisame has a Mini-Hakkero. It can be used for cooking, and for firing [[KamehameHadoken gigantic laser beams]]. And before you start guessing, she is not a LethalChef. Marisa was also noted in the story material for ''VideoGame/TouhouYouyoumuPerfectCherryBlossom'' to have relocated a hot spring with her magic...for indoor heating in the winter.
** [[{{Miko}} Reimu]] uses her Hakurei Yin-Yang Orbs as an air freshener.
** [[NinjaMaid Sakuya Izayoi]] regularly uses {{time|StandsStill}}hax to speed up housework, as well as making the Scarlet Mansion BiggerOnTheInside.
** [[MarionetteMaster Alice Margatroid]] micromanages her doll army, which can wield weapons and launch [[BulletHell danmaku]], to do chores all over the house, even when she isn't in the same room as them. However, this is explicitly noted as more a matter of pride than practicality, as because she needs to control each doll individually it doesn't make the work any easier.
** [[ILoveNuclearPower Utsuho]] gains the power of nuclear fusion and plans to TakeOverTheWorld with it. After the heroines beat her, she provides free electricity for Gensokyo, and heating for {{hot springs|Episode}}. The description of her Light Energy "High Tension Blade," an attack which ejects huge amounts of nuclear energy from the tip of her control rod molded into the shape of a massive sword, notes that she also uses it as a ''flashlight.''
--> "...Seriously now?"
** In Eientei, Kaguya uses her power to manipulate eternity to make the mansion timeless, so the house would not degrade over time, and food would not go bad. Shortly before the events of ''[[Manga/TouhouBougetsushou Silent Sinner in Blue]]'', however, she stops doing it, and begins to appreciate the passage of time in her home once more.
** As a manipulator of density, Suika can create black holes, grow to giant size and split into hundreds of copies. What does she use this power for? To gather people together for an endless kegger.
** Even [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway lame powers]] have their uses; on especially hot summer days, other youkai and fairies who dislike the sun will use Rumia's personal bubble of darkness to avoid the heat.
** Similarly, in the official manga ''[[Manga/TouhouSangetsusei Strange and Bright Nature Deity]]'', Youmu unsuccessfully tries to convince Marisa and Reimu to stop collecting ghosts in jars and [[GhostlyChill using them as air conditioners]].
** Eirin is an [[TimeAbyss absurdly old]] super-genius that invented a potion for immortality, as well as who knows what else. After the events of ''VideoGame/TouhouEiyashouImperishableNight'' she used her abilities to open a clinic, providing medicine for youkai and humans.
** Yukari Yakumo, youkai of boundaries, uses her RealityWarper powers for transportation. As we learn from an anecdote in ''Manga/ForbiddenScrollery'', this even extends to reaching across the room to turn off the lights without having to get out of bed.
** In the artbook ''The Grimoire of Usami'', the characters use their danmaku patterns to put on a fireworks show for the human villagers.
** ''VideoGame/TouhouSoccer'', where the girls unleash their unbelievably powerful magic/world-crushing [[KamehameHadoken energy beams]]/RealityWarper powers/whatever...to play ''soccer''. Yes. Whatever they're using for a soccer ball, it must be ''goddamn invincible''.
* The Igniter bloodline in ''VideoGame/BloodlineChampions'' [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin burns enemies]] in the game. However, their ''real'' purpose is to teleport around their people's underground city, keeping the torches lit.
* In ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', Silver, who possesses sufficient psychic powers to lift a large group of cars (during gameplay!) turns his might to...collecting apples.
* Crypto, the alien protagonist of ''VideoGame/DestroyAllHumans'', is a powerful psychic that can manipulate human minds to his own diabolical ends. What does he use this mind control for when he has no mission objective on hand? ''Making civilians do the chicken dance for his own amusement.''

* Kyle Katarn's IdleAnimation in ''VideoGame/JediKnightDarkForcesII'' features him using his lightsaber to cut his beard. This requires balls of durasteel, because...well...it's a ''plasma sword capable of cutting through starship hull''.
** [[MemeticBadass It's the only thing in the galaxy capable of cutting Kyle Katarn's beard.]]
** ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'' weighs in:
--->'''Obi-wan:''' Some Jedi are known to shave with their laser swords.\\
'''Tion Medon:''' Yet you have a beard.\\
'''Obi-wan:''' Yes. And a head still attached to my neck.
* Inverted in ''Franchise/DeadSpace'', where the only actual weapon you receive, the Pulse Rifle, isn't the most useful against the Necromorphs, especially when wielded by RedShirt[=s=] who don't know they need to be dismembered. The weapons that are effective are basically tools for maintenance and repairs: the plasma cutter and line gun are usually used for cutting through starship walls and hulls to repair the machinery inside. The ripper, a buzzsaw held by electromagnetism, is used for cutting live power cables without the holder being electrocuted. The Shock Cannon is used for clearing hallways filled with debris in an emergency. Etc. Etc.
** There's also Isaac's armor, another subversion: in its ultimate incarnation, it's only a little less effective than full-on combat armor (which you get for beating the game), and for a good reason: it's designed for engineers going into extremely hazardous and hostile environments (such as extremely high temperatures, toxic atmospheres, ''no'' atmosphere, areas where debris and shrapnel are flying at high velocities due to malfunctions in the gravity plating, etc, etc.), so it has to be very sturdy and airtight. And lucky Isaac, he has a suit of this on at the beginning, since he was being sent to do repair work on a ship that had suddenly gone silent, meaning he had to be ready for ANY situation that might pop up, since there's any number of things that can go wrong in deep space (although it's probably safe to say that nobody was expecting mutant space zombies).
** ''VideoGame/DeadSpace3'' plays this oh so very straight as you regularly have to use use the kinesis ability to turn simple handles which are clearly within an arm's reach. There is no explanation provided why Isaac couldn't do that by hand. Presumably, EA didn't want to spend effort animating it.
* Inversion in the DOS game ''PickleWars'': Salad Shooters are mundane. They also just happen to be the most effective weapon against the pickle invaders.
** Played straight when the Doomsday Device is said to make good milkshakes.
* In ''[[VideoGame/KartiaTheWordOfFate Kartia]]'', the cards which are used for devastating magical attacks and creating weapons and armor can be used for pretty much everything else, from transforming into cleaning implements, to transforming one into a tea cup, and the second into the tea itself. Think I'll stay with the leaves myself.
* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'': What's the best part of being able to enter and travel through dreams? If you ask Gannayev, it's the extra opportunities for [[PowerPerversionPotential getting laid]].
** In the original ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'': how do you open a locked chest if you're a mage? Do you hire the annoying little halfling rogue? No. You hurl a [[KillItWithFire fireball]] at it.
** That, or have your Pixie familiar take care of it. You ''did'' choose the Pixie, right?
** And if you are a mighty barbarian, you [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer just chop the chest into kindling]].
** Or you can make an InfinityPlusOneSword and give it the power of "knock", so that it'll unlock every door and locked chest in the building when you bash one locked door.
** ChainLightning and Epic Spell: Hellball are most commonly used to destroy every locked chest and door in the room.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'' video games:
** ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'':
*** "[[JediMindTrick We don't need to pay the landing fees.]]"
*** If you have Bastilla and Mission on your team for long enough, Mission will start annoying Bastilla to the point where she uses the Force that binds the galaxy together to make Mission trip over her own feet. It's made even funnier by the fact that the reason Mission is bugging her is to try and get Bastilla to admit to using the Force for mundane reasons occasionally. Like tripping people up people who annoy her.
----> "I would never use the Force for such petty and trivial revenge! [[HypocriticalHumor The mere thought of it's preposterous]]."
** At several points in ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'', Starkiller uses the Force to do things like move around and operate machinery. He ''is'' usually in life-threatening situations where he has to work fast. In the second game, he uses Force Lightning to charge up a cannon so it can blow up an attacking star destroyer.
** ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'':
*** The Consular and Inquisitor classes have a spell that operates as a short-range teleport. The ''stated'' reason is to get them out of danger or teleport them around a battle. One of the most common uses? Having a save point when hunting treasure chests or datacrons.
*** Within the expansion ''Knights of the Fallen Empire'', an oddly cheery montage scene has new allies Koth, Lana and HK-55 retrofitting the Gravestone, a powerful starship. While most take their jobs seriously, all-powerful yet title-fearing Sith Lord Lana Beniko's only contribution is using the mighty power of The Force to stack a random collection of seemingly unimportant crates on one side of a room. And she looks so pleased with herself afterwards.
** In ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'', Cal Kestis uses his lightsaber as an improvised light source in dark places.
* It's entirely possible in ''VideoGame/JakIIRenegade'' and ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'' to use a gun to open boxes. If you've activated infinite ammo, you can use the ''tank-killing lightning-bomb gun'' to crack open crates.
* In ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations]]'', Maya uses her abilities to channel her deceased older sister Mia...in order to have [[IHaveBoobsYouMustObey significant enough cleavage to convince a witness]] to cooperate with them (And an upset Mia says she can't believe Maya would do ''that''). She also does it to pass messages to Phoenix in desperate situations by writing a note, channeling her sister who then reads said note, and having Mia go to be channeled by Pearl and pass the message along.
* In a skit in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', Sheena asks Genis how he cooks so well. "I always cast Fireball!" While he was joking, Sheena considers the possibility of getting the fire Summon Spirit Efreet to aid in the process. [[LampshadeHanging They then get snapped at to stop using their powers for such trivial things.]]
* The planet Democratus, from ''VideoGame/{{Anachronox}}'', is equipped with a tractor beam that can affect objects almost as large as the planet itself. After they shrink the planet and team up with the protagonists, the tractor beam is used to...reach things on high shelves. Or pick up a very hot rock. They can also construct a fully functional (if small-scaled) nuclear weapons program, which they use against opponents.
* Shiki in ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' tends to use his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception to quietly open locked doors more than kill vampires, poison, brick walls, evil hair or weird things like that. In fact, it's why Satsuki has a crush on him: He used his eyes to cut the lock on the door of a shed she was trapped in. Also vaporized the arm of a national monument statue after accidentally breaking it.
* In ''VideoGame/SecondSight,'' John Vattic uses his telekinesis to restart a generator with a missing starter motor.
* During the Wits Path of ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheFateOfAtlantis,'' Indy finds a mysterious artifact capable of generating a sizeable burst of electricity: almost immediately afterwards, he uses it as a substitute for a car battery.
* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', the Blood Elves, despite being driven to consuming demons to get magic fix, still waste a lot of that magic on things like ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}} self-pushing brooms]]'', ''floating lamp posts'', and ''parties''. Also, the Magical City of Dalaran, now rebuilt and flying over Northend, has mages to turn on the lamps at night.
** You can also get a nice sharp [[http://www.wowhead.com/item=69618 skinning knife]].
** In a rather meta use of this trope, the [[http://www.wowwiki.com/Corrupted_Blood Corrupted Blood]] epidemic was studied by researchers at Reuters to better understand the spread of real-world plagues.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': '''[[SwordOfPlotAdvancement The]] [[InfinityPlusOneSword Master]] [[CoolSword Sword]].''' The fabled Blade of Evil's Bane. Forged and blessed by the Goddesses to defeat the vilest demons and sorcerers that may threaten the world. ''Lawn mower.''
** ''Webcomic/VGCats'' [[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=107 plays with this.]]
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'', Link can use the powerful Spirit Train to carry passengers and cargo as well as travel across the landscape fighting evil. He also has a monopoly on the rail trade because he's the only train out there that isn't possessed by demons. The train rails are also [[SealedEvilInACan the chains used to bind an powerful demon]].
** In the [[NoExportForYou Japan exclusive Spin-off game]] "Navi Trackers", Tetra uses the awesome, ancient magic of the kingdom of Hyrule to...split [[MesACrowd Link into four]] and play a game of tag with them. A really complicated game of tag, but still, a game of tag.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' has the Fierce Deity's Mask, the reward for OneHundredPercentCompletion that makes all boss fights a joke. In the 3DS remake, it also gives Link the strength to reel in huge fish in the FishingMinigame. (You can use the Goron Mask too, but this is much more fun).
** The Rito of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' use the power of flight, which is granted to them by climbing a mountain and obtaining a scale from a dragon, to ''deliver mail''.
** And in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', you can use [[BlowYouAway the Gust Bellows]] for house-cleaning.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'', Link will sometimes use his Fire Rod in one minigame in place of a baseball bat.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', the Rito, the resident BirdPeople of Hyrule who can fly just about anywhere they want, use the feathers they molt to stuff soft and incredibly comfortable beds and to craft super-insulating armor. Also, the Gerudo Champion Urbosa has a [[ShockAndAwe magic electrical attack]] that she uses at one point to prank Zelda by calling down a lightning bolt in the distance to wake the latter.
*** Some of the weapons have secondary uses depending on their element or characteristics. For example, the game's FlamingSword can be used to warm yourself, melt ice, and so on. Likewise, the effective indestructability of the Master Sword means it can be used for mundane tasks such as cutting down trees or splitting open mineral deposits without spending an inventory slot on a dedicated tool or wasting the durability of your other weapons.
*** The bombs you get at the beginning of the game? Those make for excellent forest-clearers, especially since the cooldown is a fraction of a second, and this way, you don't use valuable weapon durability. Probably not the use the Sheikah intended. Also great for fishing without using arrows!
*** To avoid chewing up the durability on other weapons, players may resort to using the Master Sword for such tasks as mining (ores tend to be near cliffs, which a bomb is likely to fling your precious gems off of) and hunting.
* Dizzy's attacks in ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' are named after the various nonviolent uses she came up with for them. "This Was Used For Fishing", "This Was Used To Get Fruit From Trees" and the like. [[TechnicalPacifist She doesn't want to fight]], but her wings have no such compunctions.
* In ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', Alyx says that the Gravity Gun was originally designed for handling hazardous materials, but they mostly use it for heavy lifting. Gordon later repurposes it [[ImprovisedWeapon as a weapon]]. It also makes a pretty mean mine sweeper.
** Of course the very first thing Gordon uses it for is playing fetch with Dog.
* Valve seems to love these. In ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' the Portal Gun was originally supposed to somehow be used for shower curtains. [=GLaDOS=] was designed as a sentient Anti-Freeze dispenser. One can only wonder what the CompanionCube was meant for.
** In ''Portal 2'' we have the Propulsion Pudding originally marketed as a dietary aid, speeds food through your stomach before it can be digested. Removed from the market when it was discovered that digestion plays an important role in the eating process, namely breaking down food into easily absorbed pieces BEFORE it is violently expelled from the body. Repulsion Pudding was removed from the market for similar reasons. Both of those could probably be used for real advances, if Aperture Science wasn't utterly incompetent at seeing a ''logical'' application of their inventions.
** ''VideoGame/Portal2'' features a meta-example in one of the game engine's new features, "world portals", which can link any two areas just like standard portals but are meant to be placed in mid-air, seamlessly integrate with the environment, and can have standard portals shot through them. The result: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xFbRecjKQA crazy non-Euclidean geometry]] similar to what late '90s engines were capable of. What did Valve use it for? Building maps in chunks during early development instead of having to make everything line up. Those maps were all eventually rejiggered back into a coherent Euclidean whole except one, which involves a room that's slightly BiggerOnTheInside, but just barely.
** And now, the Perpetual Testing Initiative demonstrates that Aperture developed interdimensional travel (apparently reliable, at least as much as any of their other products), and decided to use it to get other Apertures in parallel universes to build test chambers for them. This is like having a key that can open any lock and using it to steal office supplies.
*** They did, however, eventually find not one but two universes made entirely of American money, and use that as their own funding.
** One Alternate-Cave managed to use the interdimensional travel portal to ''play practical jokes'' on Cave-Prime, because that Alternate-Cave is apparently evil and a dick. Shenanigans include teleporting in a huge cube of frozen urine (which was bigger than Cave-Prime's own portal, so they had to melt it with hair dryers before shoving it back), doing a human pyramid out of the blue, and stealing someone's lunch.
** Aperture Science as a whole either subverts this trope or plays it so straight that it never uses its many innovations correctly. For example, the company can use cheap panels to generate portals, but only uses these as a test element and decided to construct an expensive system of pneumatic pipes to move things around.
** The fan-made video ''Outside Aperture'' shows Chell living in an abandoned apartment after escaping Aperture, haunted by the memories of the place and living in constant fear of [=GLaDOS=]. She uses the portal gun for such things like picking up trash (one above a trashcan and one under the trash) and scratching her own back.
* During one of the training segments in ''VideoGame/PsiOpsTheMindgateConspiracy,'' Edgar Barrett suggests that they use Nick Scryer's pyrokinesis for a barbecue.
* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' lets you use catapults, capable of squishing half an army if they're tightly packed... to transport stone across the map. Handy for dealing with gulags and hauling of rock, though.
** It's [[RunningGag well established]] within the community that magma can solve anything, and is especially good for disposing of pesky trash, prisoners, spare rock, [[UpperClassTwit nobles]], and [[ScrewYouElves elven trade caravans]]. With careful planning, large numbers of cave-in traps, [[WeHaveReserves sufficient manpower]], and [[RefugeInAudacity a lot of audacity]], it's possible to use [[spoiler:HELL ITSELF]] for much the same thing.
** [[EldritchAbomination Forgotten Beasts]] can be butchered for meat like any other animal.
** Drawbridges are capable of smashing almost anything out of existence. They are frequently used to dispose of truly useless objects and people in order to save framerate.
** Having a vampire in your midst means having a tireless immortal who will go around the fortress looking for victims to suck blood from. The most common solution to accommodate them and keep the fortress safe from them at the same time is to lock them up in a "control room" and have them [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment pull levers for all eternity]], which ensures important mechanisms of your fortress are always activated without delay.
*** Another viable use of a sealed vampire is to disaster-proof your fortress. Urist [=McVampire=] will always count as a citizen, so your nation and dwarves will always send you caravans and immigrants to resupply and repopulate.
** The precious adamantine is an extremely lightweight metal which makes the sharpest blades, strongest armor and, due to its abysmal density, ridiculously weak bludgeons. It only makes sense then that one of the best uses for them is "nerf bats" for punishing criminals without hurting them too severely: the hammerer is happy because they got to deliver the beating and the criminal is happy because they avoided the worst of PoliceBrutality.
* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarIII'', Kratos rips off the head of Helios, the god of the sun...and uses it as a makeshift flashlight.
* The Japanese version of ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'' (''Rockman 7'') has {{Ro|botMaid}}ll suggesting to her brother that he use the weapons he [[MegaManning obtained from the Bosses]] as tools for housework, as seen [[http://www.rockmanpm.com/?p=original/rockman7/labtalk/roll here]]. Highlights include using the [[PlayingWithFire Burning Wheel]] for a barbecue, the [[AbsurdlySharpBlade Slash Claw]] for trimming the garden, and the [[ShockAndAwe Thunder Strike]] to save up on their electric bill...
** Also, Mega Man's [[PowerCopying Variable Weapons System]] is actually an inversion. Since he was originally a housekeeper robot, said system was devised as the Variable ''Tool'' System, to be used to replicate normal household tools. Only in his conversion into a fighting robot was the system adapted for combat purposes.
** It's suggested that the majority of Robot Masters were intended for civilian jobs and got retrofitted after the fact, creating some overlap with SuperPoweredRobotMeterMaids. Guts Man's SuperStrength is obviously helpful for combat purposes, but it's also really useful for construction and civil engineering. Some material suggests that certain robots go rogue or choose deactivation precisely because their abilities don't really lend themselves to peacetime.

* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX,'' Vivi's fire magic is put to use heating the stove during Eiko's cooking minigame. Earlier in the game, it's used to melt ice blocking the path.
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', you'll come across many fal'Cie, essentially {{Physical God}}s who are responsible for keeping the societies of Cocoon and Gran Pulse up and running, and who occasionally get {{Chosen One}}s to go on quests and grant them powers to do them with. Then, you get to Edenhall and see that some of these mighty fal'Cie have the grave task of...opening doors. As in, the fal'Cie are the doors. A door (bulkhead) fal'Cie is also seen in Gapra Whitewood. It seems that some of them can be very mundane.
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'', Noctis has the RoyaltySuperpower to store an armory of mundane and legendary weapons in {{Hammerspace}}, switching between them as needed in battle. He also uses it as an extradimensional tackle box to keep his fishing gear on hand at all times.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', one treasure chest can only be reached by using the Graviga spell to pull it down from a height.
** The act of opening treasure chests itself is mundane, considering all of the things a Keyblade is capable of doing aside from being able to open any lock; be it physical or otherwise.
** The Keyblade's ability to unlock or lock anything is attempted on normal doors a few times. A cutscene in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX'' has the PlayerCharacter trying to use the Keyblade to open the White Rabbit's house door after the Rabbit loses his house key, and Sora himself uses the Keyblade at least twice to just lock doors.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', the cargo-carrying hovercrafts that Wario and King Dedede use are equipped with articulated arms powered, so the trophy says, by magic. While magic is a more common resource in Nintendo world than in ours, one has to wonder if a simple hydraulic rig wouldn't be more practical.
* In [[http://www.meta-knight.com/scanlation/4koma/yumedeluxe12.jpg one 4-koma]], Franchise/{{Kirby}} gets the [[PlayingWithFire Fire ability]]... [[spoiler:and uses it to [[BigEater cook food]]]]. It's also worth noting that in the games themselves, abilities such as Sword and Cutter are very useful for cutting ropes and grass.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** According to the Cerberus Daily Newscast, [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy the krogan's]] natural strength and speed makes them extremely good North American football players. North-American-Union-Rules apparently allows nonhuman players to compete. Or at least have an alien league based on their rules. [[http://kobb.deviantart.com/art/Krogan-Rules-Football-266449953 And now]] [[http://kobb.deviantart.com/art/Krogan-Football-a-comic-267877732 it's...real?]]
** [[MindOverMatter Biotics]] will think nothing of using their powers to retrieve minor objects. Subverted in Kaidan's backstory, where they were forced to do this by their DrillSergeantNasty. Kaidan mentions his girlfriend [[DisproportionateRetribution getting her arm broken]] for picking up a glass of water - [[TrainingFromHell "she just wanted a drink of water without getting a nosebleed."]]
** Omni-tools can be used to [[KnifeNut flash-forge knives]], launch [[KillItWithFire balls of burning plasma]], fire [[LightningGun electricity]], [[FreezeRay flash freeze enemies]], launch combat drones, apply medical care, analyze threats, launch grenades...and to play music and check email. It's like a weapons grade smartphone. More than once, they even get used as flashlights.
** [[ClassyCatBurglar Kasumi]] uses her tactical cloak to steal the most priceless art treasures in the galaxy...and to [[PowerPerversionPotential spy on her crush]], [[TheStraightMan Jacob Taylor]]. She also uses it to walk through the CIC without being [[AllMenArePerverts ogled by one of the security men]].
** The eponymous mass effect fields are used for an astounding array of purposes, from {{FTL}} to weapons to defenses to propulsion...to, according to Specialist Traynor, dental hygiene. Her toothbrush uses tiny mass effect fields to [[MundaneMadeAwesome massage the gums.]] [[spoiler: Amusingly, in the ''Citadel DLC'', the fate of the entire universe actually hinges on Traynor's toothbrush saving the ''Normandy''.]]
** During the ''Firewalker DLC'' for the second game, Shepard recovers an Prothean Orb which appears to use Hammerspace to shrink itself from over 20 metres in size, right down the size of a basketball. What does Shepard do with this priceless, ''fifty-thousand'' year old relic? Use it as a table centerpiece in their quarters, what else?! Considering it's not returned along with Shepard's other things in ''3'', one can assume that the Alliance R&D team that retrofitted the ''Normandy'' was highly irritated by Shepard's casual use of archaeological artifacts as high-tech paperweights.
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Javik claims that in his Cycle, Protheans used their biotic abilities to [[MundaneMadeAwesome flense the food from their teeth.]]
---> '''Wrex''': Man, your Cycle sounds like crap!
** ''Citadel'' also mentions a sport called biotiball, which from the sounds of it is basketball with biotics. [[WitchSpecies Asari]] largely have a lock on the sport, but humanity has several well established teams despite their oldest biotics being 32-33 at the start of the series.
** Also in ''Citadel'', Jack reveals that as a side effect of her overcharged biotic abilities, she's immune to hangovers no matter how drunk she gets.
** From ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'':
*** The Cardinal, like all kett Ascendants, has a teleportation device which she uses to avoid attacks, get the drop on enemies or... hurry across the room.
*** In one sidequest, you can use your hyper-advanced Pathfinder AI to cheat at poker.
* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'': Kano's friendship involves him using his eye laser to light a barbecue grill.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha Gaiden'', [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Heero]] decides to use his Gundam's Zero System (a brain-interfaced tactical computer and enemy movement prediction system) to predict where [[NoSenseOfDirection Masaki]] could have wandered off to, since there was no other way to humanly predict that.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' use their powers primarily for battling, but it's been shown plenty of times that they also use their abilities for everyday living. An example would be in the beginning of the ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' Versions, where your character is moved into their new house by a team of Machoke.
** This goes all the way back to [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the first Pokémon games]] where a Machop was being used to help flatten the foundation of a construction site.
** The HM Moves are used to perform tasks in the field like cutting down trees, moving boulders, or surfing across streams.
*** Some people have Pokémon used only for HM-moves, known as HM-slaves. As it turns out one of the most effective Pokémon for this is Mew, a legendary once rumored to be the strongest Pokémon in the world, due to its ability to learn any TM or HM in the game.
** Most OlympusMons are banned from tournaments, thus you usually use them for unofficial in-game battling and competitive Contests.
** ''Black and White'''s in-universe TV show "Moves for Living" is all about practical uses for the moves introduced in that pair. Some suggestions are little bizarre.
** In ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'', one girl asks you if you have a Psychic or Flying Pokémon, so she can get a heavy luggage she can't reach.
*** A trainer in the Ice-themed gym also suggests using the powerful move Ice Beam, which can take down legendary Dragons, on berry juice to make frappes.
** A number of Pokémon Abilities have quite useful out-of-battle effects: Pokémon with Synchronize have a 50% chance of encountering wild Pokémon (including Legendaries) of the same Nature, reducing the amount of SaveScumming needed to get a good Pokémon. Putting a Pokémon with Flame Body in your party makes eggs hatch in half the time. While Sticky Hold is useful in preventing opponents from stealing or swapping out your Pokémon's held item, it's even more useful for increasing the likelihood of bites while fishing.
** ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' has an entire system dedicated to this: Poké Jobs. The player can send their boxed Pokémon out to perform mundane tasks for various companies in exchange for experience, money, and items. A restaurant might ask for Fire-type Pokémon to aid in cooking, while a fabric company will hire Bug-types to produce thread for them.
* Cutscene in the ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' display this at times.
** In the originals, a demolition squad carries a nuke to a zerg infested installation in a large cooling box filled with ice to prevent it from overheating. The box also has beercans. [[OneLastSmoke They open up the cans and have a drink]] allowing the zergs to attack them. [[spoiler:They still get the nuke off.]]
-->''"Thank God for cold fusion!"''
** The sequel contains another cutscene where Zeratul examines some old Xel'Naga ruins, by using his large glowing green psychic energy sword as a torch. In ''Legacy of the Void'', Artanis uses his psi blade to the same effect.
* In the backstory of ''VideoGame/TotalDistortion'', a mysterious artifact's appearance from nowhere led to the discovery of alternate universes and teleportation. The primary use for this? Instant shipping - you teleport an object to another universe on one end and pick it up on the other (sending living things through the process sends them into a six-week coma, so any other uses took a while to make feasible).
* In the ''Undead Nightmare'' DLC for ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'', the torch is a highly effective zombie-killing melee weapon. Also, it lights up dark rooms.
* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', all throwable liquids can be used to put out fires. "[[AllThereInTheManual Meet The Medic]]" also shows that Mediguns will repair damaged clothes.
** The Medigun itself is also this trope in action, since the Medic considers healing a ''side effect'' to whatever the hell he'd originally invented the Medigun for.
* Sasha Nein of ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', an extremely powerful psychic, uses his tele- and pyrokinesis to aid him in his [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking chain-smoking]].
** You can see a lot of the campers abusing their powers, Nils the CasanovaWannabe can be seen early on using clairvoyance to practice spying on the girl's cabin using a squirrel and an acorn, Milka, an extreme wallflower, uses invisibility to escape from awkward situations, and Elka uses her foresight to look into the future of her love life. And then of course, there's Cruller's subversion of ComesGreatResponsibility:
--> '''Cruller''': You have to promise to use this only when it's really important or [[ForTheLulz really, really funny.]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheComaCuttingClass'', the Shade tells a student that finds themselves in the eponymous place that it and the school mirror each other, with something done in The Coma affecting the school in real life. The student [[spoiler:Seho Ghil]] promptly tests the waters by smashing a window and improving their grades. Though a note reveals that this was intentionally just to figure out ''what'' they can do with the power, before advancing to bigger things.
* ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'':
** The art books make a mention of how certain spells, with their power turned down, can be turned toward ordinary tasks. Fire spells were used for making campfires, ice spells for air conditioning during the warmer months, but wind spells take the cake-- skirt lifting.
** Gameplay wise, you can often use your ridiculously destructive special attacks for alternative purposes like jumping over holes or getting enemies out of the way in situations where lifting and throwing won't work. A prime example is using the Martial Artist's repositioning attacks to push enemies off of portals in the Item World.
* All over the place in ''VideoGame/NetHack''. In just one of many examples, a good use of the spell Stone to Flesh would be to transmute a boulder into a huge chunk of meat.

* ''VideoGame/BioShock'':
** The series delivers this by the truckload in the form of the DNA-Altering AppliedPhlebotinum ADAM. In fact, its first uses in [[UnderwaterCity Rapture]] were purely mundane, given that it was developed in peacetime; meanwhile, the game itself is crowded with advertisments suggesting mundane uses for ADAM-based superpowers- stirring a cup of coffee with [[MindOverMatter Telekinesis]], for example, or [[FingerSnapLighter lighting a cigarette]] with [[PlayingWithFire Incinerate]]. However, the whole thing turns out to be something of {{Deconstruction}} of the trope: frivolous use of ADAM results in addiction, physical disfiguration, and insanity; the first of Rapture's citizens succumb to the effects and become Splicers were those who overused it for cosmetic purposes, and the rest ended up splicing themselves up in an attempt to defend themselves from them, overdoing it as well. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation Of course, the player characters are immune to the usual side-effects]]...[[spoiler:[[GameplayAndStoryIntegration because they were produced or modified to be as such]].]]
** Throughout both games, Electro Bolt can be used to jumpstart doors and malfunctioning equipment.
** Incinerate might sound like a purely combat-based Plasmid, but it can be used to melt the ice on frozen doors.
** In [[VideoGame/BioShock1 the first game]], prior to Rapture's societal failure, Dr Steinmann used ADAM for plastic surgery, sculpting his patients- [[ProfessorGuineaPig and himself]]- to the highest standards of beauty. Then, of course, Steinmann went nuts and decided to see how well the human face would handle being rebuilt to follow the cubist style of art.
** One of [[MadArtist Sander Cohen's]] equally crazy apprentices has taken to freezing people alive with [[FreezeRay Winter Blast]]...for the purposes of sculpture. And [[NightmareFuel you become one of them]] for a time.
** The teaser-trailer for the second game shows a Big Sister using telekinesis to make sandcastles.
** At the beginning of the second game, you can find an audio diary of a woman who complains that her husband keeps wasting his money on Gene Tonics to make himself look buff, and considers buying some tonics to sharpen his mind.
** In ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', when you finally get around to buying Incinerate, a prerecorded announcement suggests that you use it to light a fireplace for a couple of [[UncannyValley animatronic dummies]]; unfortunately, someone's spilled oil all over the floor, resulting in a merry blaze that consumes both dummies. Another announcement in the next part of the room suggests that you use the power again, this time to light a cigarette from a distance; however, it looks like somebody's already tried and failed, because the dummies have been charred beyond recognition.
** In a rare example of Mundane Utility that ''doesn't'' rely on plasmids, the [[GentleGiant Big Daddies]] -- normally bodyguards for the [[CreepyChild little sisters]] -- occasionally can be seen performing repairs using the tools they normally use as weaponry.
** ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'', on the other hand, presents us with Vigors, which give various superpowers much like Plasmids in the first ''[=BioShock=]''. But unlike Plasmids, the Vigors have no known negative side-effects. much like Plasmids, however, the vigors were made with MundaneUtility specifically in mind, such as using Shock-Jockey (the game's equivalent of the first ''[=BioShock=]'''s [[ShockAndAwe Electro-bolt]]) to power a carousel ride.
*** ''Burial At Sea'', a DLC story taking place in pre-fall Rapture shows exactly what life was like in a plasmid-dominated society when people could still think straight. At the start, Booker uses Incinerate to light Elizabeth's cigar, and you also come upon a waiter using the Houdini teleport plasmid to service customers in an extremely efficient manner. There's also a new weapon, a ray gun that makes splicers explode with enough force to clear a room, its intended purpose was a ''portable microwave''.
* ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' adds conversations between the protagonists when staying at inns in the remake. Among the conversations is a discussion about how hot and dry the desert is, leading Popoi to summon Undine and have her give them water to drink.
* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'', Ezio Auditore is shown to use his Hidden Blade for many things, including [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking assassinations, stealth kills, picking locks]]... and cutting flowers from their stems...
** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'', at a young age, Ratonhnhaké:ton (Connor) used his Eagle Vision to win in hide-and-seek. It's even a JustifiedTutorial for teaching you it. Also, by the end of the game, Connor will likely have used his hidden blade to kill and skin game far more often than he will have used it to assassinate people. The same likely applies for his grandfather [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag Edward]] (minus the hide-and-seek).
** From ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' onward, the evil MegaCorp Abstergo has started using its Animus technology to make in universe ''videogames''. Granted, they act as propaganda for the Templars and basing them on Animus visions might cut down on development costs but still...
** One of the Letters from Elise in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity'' points out that Arno's [[LeParkour Assassin Training]] would make him an unstoppable goatherd.

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'':
** Want to have an awesome looking fireplace that will never burn out like wood does? Get some Netherrack from the Nether, it turns out that the landscape features of hell itself make fantastic pseudo-firewood.
** A bucket of lava can be used as fuel for a furnace, and is naturally the best fuel source in the game.
** Other common examples include using molten lava as a garbage disposal, using redstone torches (basically never-depleting batteries) for mood lighting, using the teleportation powers granted by Enderpearls to climb out of holes, and using the peculiar dimensions of the aforementioned Nether for rapid transportation.
** Trapped chests can be used as the SchmuckBait trigger for an elaborate DeathTrap, or in complicated redstone mechanisms to sort your inventory. Also, since mixed trapped and regular chests don't merge together into large chests, the game lets you set them directly next to each other.
* Woo-whee, the stuff you can get in ''VideoGame/WildArms''! Throwing knives, flaming playing cards,[[TimeyWimeyBall watches that reverse time]], [[MemeticMutation BOMBZ!]] These would be ''awesome'' to use in battle. But...they're used for solving puzzles (or, in the case of the watch, resetting them).
* The descriptions of several items in ''VideoGame/SpiralKnights'' suggest they can be used for non-combat purposes, such as a helmet and suit that provide protection against fire being usable as a makeshift coffee pot and stove, respectively. Why they would use them for such purposes becomes clear once you realize the conditions the Knights go through typically mean they have to resort to doing whatever they need to survive.
* Much of the gameplay of ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' revolves around Biometals, {{Transformation Trinket}}s that anchor the souls of legendary heroes and allow those attuned to them to transform into those heroes and unleash their power. They can also be used as CD players.

* In ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'' the path to the [[spoiler: eleventh]] colossus features a trek through the desert to a ravine, followed by a walk a couple of minutes to the east, a climb down a staircase in the cliff wall, a swim across a lake and a long climb up a steep hill...or jumping down the ravine, surviving due to Wander becoming more [[MadeOfIron durable]] with each defeated colossus, sitting still for maybe 30 seconds while his HealingFactor does its thing, and then facing the colossus, all in the name of laziness/impatience.
* ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld''
** During one of the trailers, TheIlluminati henchman Alex [=McCall=] uses magic to make the end of his cigarette spontaneously ignite and to telekinetically play around with spare change.
** In the game itself, [[ChildMage Callie James]] uses her own pyrokinetic magic to dispose of [[TheAlcoholic John Galahad]]'s cigarettes before he ends up accidentally setting fire to himself in a drunken stupor. It's also possible she just lights his ciggies when he's in a more sober mood, which is quite a step up from [[PowerIncontinence accidentally burning down her ballet school]].
** [[TheBigGuy Akashi]] of the [[{{Samurai}} Jingu Clan]] is capable of incredible bursts of speed that [[{{Acrofatic}} belie his massive size]]; when not in the field, he mainly uses this to chop vegetables at superspeed.
** According to the lore entries, [[{{Oni}} Inbeda]] of the [[PrivateMilitaryContractors House-In-Exile]] set up shop in a bathhouse so he could use [[InstantOracleJustAddWater the waters]] in order to scry into the Hell Dimensions - not for the sake of espionage or anything like that, but because Inbeda occasionally feels homesick.
** Issue #11 reveals that the [[MegaCorp Orochi Group]] daughter corporation Anansi Technologies has managed to develop [[note]]or possibly reverse-engineer[[/note]] a powerful virtual-reality machine identical to the one hidden in the Sunken Library. However, where the Council of Venice uses it to [[VirtualTrainingSimulation train their agents for front-line combat]], Anansi employees mainly use it to play VideoGame/PacMan; also, several of them have ended up in trouble with management for using the VR machine for "[[PowerPerversionPotential adult programs]]" - and making so much mess the janitors had to shut down the entire floor just to clean up all the... [[{{Squick}} residue]].
** [[MouthOfSauron The Black Signal]] AKA [[TomTheDarkLord John]] is an [[EldritchAbomination immensely powerful Filth entity]] who's managed to [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence shed his physical body]] and now exists in a permanent state of BodySurf, possessing Filth-infected minds and [[{{Technopath}} seizing control of technology]] all over Tokyo - [[spoiler: and later, throughout the world at large.]] And when he's not using this power to turn the entire [[EternalEngine Manufactory]] against you in Tokyo's dungeon missions, he's using it to waste time in increasingly ridiculous ways, from cheekily sabotaging Masao Tanaka's EmergencyPresidentialAddress to chatting online with Harumi Nakahara.
* The teleporter in ''VideoGame/{{Startopia}}'' can be used to move any non-organic objects, or store them indefinitely in the pattern buffer. 95% of the time, it'll be used for picking up trash or storing perishable goods.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'': Geo Stelar can merge with an alien to access the Wave World and transform into an intangible EnergyBeing made mostly from computer data. When not using his powers to save the world, he uses them to fix malfunctioning computers and [=TVs=] by putting the responsible viruses to the sword. He has also used them to gain entrance to his own (locked) hotel room, and dedicates a ridiculous amount of time to hacking into the private and theoretically secure data of random people on the street, figuring out how best to help them, and then running out and doing that in the hope of getting money, cool battle cards or more HP. He's also a one-man global postal service and one episode of the anime is spent delivering packages all over the city when they're all mistakenly delivered to his house.
** This is invoked in the third game - Ace asked Geo to stay behind for a briefing with him while his friends took a flight to Alohaha, the intent being that he can use the Astro Wave to catch up with them. Also, Geo and Sonia use it so the latter can elude a storm of fans.

* In ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Street Fighter Alpha 3]]'', Blanka has a victory pose where he blends some fruit to make a drink. He uses his [[ShockAndAwe electrical powers]] as a [[http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc308/DANHIBIKI777/SFZ_Blanka/blanka-proteinshake.gif power source for the blender]].
* In ''VideoGame/DarkSeedII'', Mike acquires a bio-mechanical machine gun and a magnetic crossbow. What does he use them for? Cheating at carnival games.
* ''VideoGame/{{X}}-Universe'' series:
** {{Inverted|Trope}} with the Split Iguana in ''X2: The Threat''. This [[InstantMilitia unassuming passenger transport can compete with heavy fighters]] in speed, shielding, and firepower, and can take out destroyers [[RammingAlwaysWorks if you can get it moving fast enough]]. Played straight elsewhere in the series, where you will frequently be using ships meant to fight wars to haul cargo and passengers for cash.
*** Factories needing small amounts of very expensive items, in particular, will benefit a lot more from cargo runs by a fast fighter with its weapons removed than by a slow transport that'll only ever fill up its cargo bay by a twentieth of its space. Because NPC factories in the game only ever use cargoes, fast transport fighters also allow yours to nab the precious - and almost always close to sold-out - resources before everyone else's noses.
** In ''X3: Terran Conflict'', the [[SpacePirate Pirate]] [[EliteMook Blastclaw]] [[SuperPrototype Prototype]] is used in about equal measure as either its intended role (a top-of-the-line SpaceFighter) or as an external cargo bay for the Hyperion Vanguard corvette (the BC Proto has just under double the cargo space of the fighter with the next-biggest hold).
* In a somewhat meta example, the UsefulNotes/WiiU's Gamepad can be used as a television remote control out of the box.
* ''VideoGame/CookieClicker'' gives you access to interplanetary shipping vessels, portals to other universes, time machines that let you go to past and future, antimatter condensers that let you turn antimatter to matter, and deals and pledges with elder gods. All of this for what? ''Cookies'', that's what.
* Tachibana Muneshige from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' wields [[DualWielding a pair of]] {{chainsaw|Good}}s in battle. He also mentions that his wife uses them to prune her bonsai trees.
* In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', Shirou's first act of magic is used to fix a broken air conditioner. He uses Structural Analysis to create an image of what the air conditioner should be, and compare it to how it is in reality, finding the damaged part that way. We learn later on that SF is a facet of [[FieldOfBlades Unlimited]] [[StormOfBlades Blade]] [[SpectralWeaponCopy Works]], and that he's been using [[RealityWarper Reality Warping]] for ''home repairs''.
** In ''VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia'', Archer and Lancer have a fishing competition. Archer uses Projection to recreate a cutting edge, expensive fishing rod, which he uses to beat Lancer. Shirou, having observed this, hopes Archer doesn't change his name to Angler. In the background, Gilgamesh can be seen with several solid gold fishing rods, presumably pulled from the Gate of Babylon.
** Gilgamesh uses the Gate of Babylon as a top-notch wine cellar as well as an armory. In ''Grand Order'', his child counterpart is using it as a toy box.
** Bazett uses Fragarach to cheat at RockPaperScissors.
* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'':
** If you ask Florence Nightingale what she wants from the Holy Grail, she jokes that she'll use it to wash her hands.
** In the Okeanos arc of ''Grand Order'', [[spoiler: Francis Drake is using the Holy Grail for endless rum and provisions]].
** In addition to misusing the vessel itself some Servants have very mundane wishes. Sometimes it's simple but sympathetic (Mata Hari wants a loving family, Ereshkigal would wish for a friend), sometimes it's deep in this trope (Medusa, [[HeightAngst perpetually awkward about her figure]], wonders if she can wish to be shorter).
** The first three Halloween events are because [[TheDitz Elisabeth Bathory]] tried to use the Grail to throw a Halloween party.
** A few Servant interludes suggest that since mankind is extinct in the present, some of your time-traveling missions are to buy supplies.
** Sigurd has access to primeval runes, which can be used to perform spells from the Age of Gods powerful enough to kill Servants. He also uses them to enchant a pair of glasses to protect his Master's eyes and help them study.
* In ''VideoGame/BillyVsSnakeman'', the power of doujutsu - seeing the flow of magic and chakra in people and things - is solely used to help you cope with fast food customers in a productive manner (i.e. not killing them out of sheer frustration).
* In ''VideoGame/DontStarve'' the Old Bell summons the [[GiantFootOfStomping Biiigfoot]], a giant foot that destroys everything in its path and causes massive damage. It's also the best way to chop down trees and mine rocks.
** In the backstory, Maxwell used the Codex Umbra for his stage magic career. [[spoiler: This made the Nightmare Creatures rather angry.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'': Toriel, a powerful fire mage, uses magic to cook her dinner and keep her fireplace lit. A diner in Snowdin is staffed by fire elementals, presumably for the same reason.
* ''VideoGame/JoJosBizarreAdventureEyesOfHeaven'': DIO uses [[FightingSpirit The World]] to pull out his chair for him at the Café Deus Magots.
* ''VideoGame/SenranKagura Bon Appetit!'' has a Secret Ninja Art Scroll that can grant any wish as a prize for a cooking tournament (ignore the FridgeLogic, the guy who set it up admits he did it [[ItAmusedMe for a laugh]]). If it doesn't get used for something ludicrous, it's this trope. Such as [[{{Hikkikomori}} Murasaki]] wishing for a refrigerator so she doesn't have to leave her room as often.
** The opening movie of ''Peach Beach Splash'' has [[AnIcePerson Yumi]] conjuring up and shattering a pillar of ice to cool a paddling pool on a hot day. This sets the tone for the main game: using ninja reflexes and abilities in a water gun fight.

* In ''Franchise/TheWitcher'' video game series, Geralt is able to use the Igni sign to damage his foes, set them aflame to make them flail in a panic, sunder their armor to make them defenseless and ... light torches (even when lighting fires with the "interact" key, it's clear that Geralt is using Igni to do it). This is in keeping with the book series, where Geralt used Igni as both an offensive and a utilitarian technique.
* Inverted in ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth''. The Planet Carver KillSat started as an attempt to make a better mining laser, but proved a bit too powerful. The military uses quickly became apparent.
* The Sierra Madre Vending Machines from the ''Dead Money'' DLC of ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. According to background information, they are actually [[MatterReplicator molecular assemblers]], the holy grail of nanotechnology. Yet according to Dean Domino, it never caught on before the Great War, and they're only used as food dispensers for the Sierra Madre Casino.
** In the base version of the game, one of the cybernetic implants the Courier can get is one that increases Luck. As the Luck stat is represented as the Courier's ability to calculate probability and affects gambling, it is entirely possible for them to become a cyborg for the sole purpose of cheating at games of chance.
* ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' has a settlement-building mechanic, which leads to the player scrapping surplus weapons and use their components to build all kinds of things, such as scrapping that Fat Man capable of lobbing miniature nukes because you wanted a new power generator.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'':
** In the ''Beach Brawl'' DLC, Hinoka's vacation picture shows her using her naginata to cut apart coconuts.
** Leo uses his legendary tome Brynhildr to grow [[TrademarkFavoriteFood tomatoes]] and dig up ore in Nohrian mine tiles.
** In the ''Museum Melee'' DLC, Xander mentions that he does not want see his legendary sword Siegfried used as a "glorified whisker shaver." Which is [[HypocriticalHumor hilariously hypocritical]], as he has no problem using it to follow Leo's example and dig up ore from Nohrian mines.
** Female Kana uses her ability to turn into a dragon to quickly dig a hole during a game of hide and seek, letting her beat Asugi.
** If Saizo ends up marrying a female [[PlayerCharacter Avatar]], he mentions in his C Support with his son Kana that he gave his wife a magic whistle that emits a sound only he can hear. It was originally created for the Hoshido Royal Family as a tool to summon bodyguards, but he says that she'll use it to get his help carrying heavy objects or when she wants sugar for her tea.
* In ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations II'', Terror Stars: AwesomeButImpractical StarKilling battle stations, capable of annihilating entire civilizations one star system at a time -- and of turning useless, uninhabitable planets into {{Asteroid Thicket}}s that you can [[AsteroidMiners mine]].
* At the end of ''VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse2'' [[spoiler:the Dragon Balls are used to summon a massive feast to handle the bottomless stomachs of Goku, Beerus and Whis. While the person who summoned Shenron does get called out for using the Dragon Balls for something so trivial, it at least beats having the [[LethalChef Supreme Kai of Time]] cook for them.]]
* ''VideoGame/RuneScape'''s Divination skill revolves around channeling the divine energy of the gods to create do-it-yourself miracles. One of the most common uses is "Sign of the Porter", which instantly transfers items to your bank account.
** Why does the elite skill Invention require 80 Divination to start? Because you use divine energy to power your gadgets. You are making ''batteries'' out of ''godstuff''.
** After "While Guthix Sleeps", Linza wonders if the Dragonkin Forge could be used to create new items out of [[{{Unobtanium}} dragon-metal]], instead of just reusing found artifacts. Her first suggestion is a dragon ''cheese grater'', though she immediately realizes that's a stupid idea.
** Marimbo's tale of ascending to godhood implies the previous god of merriment possessed [[ArtifactOfDoom the Elder Horn]] and was using it for drinking contests with mortals.
* In ''VideoGame/HaloWars2'', the Spirit of Fire's crew intend to use [[spoiler:a Halo, one of the most advanced weapons in existence,]] as a radio relay.
* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'':
** Magic Missile is useful for many, ''many'' things. For starters, the missile tracks your cursor and lasts as long as you hold the mouse button down, making it easy to hit agile mooks. The missile is decently powerful, can slip through small spaces that you might not be able to attack through, generates quite a lot of light, and doesn't expire when cutting through plants. Jungle thorns blocking your way at an inconvenient angle? Trim them with a magic missile! Flamelash is the same but brighter and more powerful, and update 1.1 introduces the Rainbow Rod, which is even stronger and all rainbow-y.
** Any item that emits light particles will be used as a light source. Some people keep items like Gungnir not only as a fast, hard-hitting, long-reaching sacred spear but also as a means to see through walls. Starfury makes glowing stars drop from the sky towards wherever you click; if you're underground, it's a great way to detect nearby caverns. Starwrath is Starfury but with rapid fire. Even gunslingers can get in on the fun once they get an Endless Musket Pouch for infinite bullets, letting them illuminate caves by simply holding down the trigger on a Megashark.
** With the 1.2 update, the Death Sickle passes through blocks while emitting a faint glow. Equipping accessories that grant burning effects causes the spectral sickle to glow even brighter. Very useful when trying to spot holes and goodies or even when digging up ores.
** Phaseblades and Phasesabers as well as any weapon on fire such as the Fiery Greatsword or Molten Hamaxe can be used to light up dark caves while exploring. Combined with the Mithril armor which shines for several seconds AFTER a light source is cast on it lets you ditch the otherwise necessary illumination tools while mining.
** The sparks of light thrown from several weapons when swung or thrown, like the Magic Boomerang and the Hellstone weapons, are very useful for spotting things through cavern walls as you can throw them through the otherwise-solid blocks and see what's on the other side. Similarly, setting enemies on fire will cause sparks to drop from them, which illuminate further down than you can normally do. Light an enemy on fire and look under them as the sparks reveal the area.
** Flares are not only mundanely useful for lighting up distant areas, but they can light enemies on fire. Not only does this have the effects listed above, but you can see enemies that retreat into the dark. The damage caused by fire is pretty low so it doesn't really work as a damage source by the time you would end up finding it.
** The Solar Eruption. It's a flail with a good range, lights up a large area and passes through walls allowing it to light up a considerable area. As an added bonus, it's one of the most damaging melee weapons in the game, only falling shy of [[spoiler:the Moon Lord]]'s drops.
** Cursed Flames and Ichor are, respectively, [[{{Hellfire}} a demonic flame that cannot be doused by water]] and [[BloodyMurder volatile]] AlienBlood, and can be crafted into various nasty weaponry. They can also be used to create waterproof torches.
** The [[spoiler:Zenith]], [[InfinityPlusOneSword weapon to end all weapons]], is similar to the Solar Eruption in its regard to lighting up huge areas through walls, and has even better range and area coverage. Its primary use is slicing up any enemies and bosses on the screen to ribbons in a matter of seconds.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'', you can research PoweredArmor to boost your armies' combat ability. The same powered exoskeletons are also used by your empire's miners to produce additional minerals.
* ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3'' has a creative use of the powerful Plasma Beam. In previous games it was your InfinityMinusOneSword, capable of tearing through hostile creatures quickly, and second only to weapons found during the final bosses. It turns out if Samus lowers the power and focuses it on a small point, she can also use this item as a welding torch to fix broken electric panels.
* ''VideoGame/LEGODimensions:'' Jay (of ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'') will occasionally grumble when called in about the possibility of being summoned just to use his command of lightning to hot-wire cars. Doesn't stop him offering to give Cyborg of the ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' a free recharge, though.
* ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' has the Horadric Cube, an ancient artifact capable of merging items that has many powerful alchemical applications. You'll probably use it as a small extension to your inventory.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' has Lucina catch her sibling using the Falchion to cut apples in their B-rank support conversation
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' in a heart-to-heart between Reyn and [[FanNickname Seven]], it is mentioned that Reyn once tried to use the Monado to cut vegetables.
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'': the party ends up with more [[EmpathicWeapon Blades]] than they can ever use, and so use them to staff a mercenary company. Sending living weapons off to do independent military work doesn't qualify for this trope. What ''does'' is some of the shockingly mundane tasks that get asked of the Garfront mercenaries (such as catering a party)... and the specialized skills the right Blades can have (such as the ability to whip up vast quantities of amazing dumplings).
* In ''VideoGame/DungeonMunchies'', Simmer uses her hell-fire powers to cook meals. Granted, these are magical dishes made from monster parts she slew herself.
* ''VideoGame/MutantFootballLeague'' features a wide variety of freakish species using their many natural talents, weapons and bloodlust in the service of playing American Football. Alien criminal scum dumped on the living hell known as Earth? Play football. Bitten by a radioactive wolf and mutated into a rabid lycanthrope? ''Play football''. Self-aware war machine with no wars left to fight? '''Play football'''.

* ''VideoGame/AstralChain'' equips the player character with Legions, enslaved creatures from another reality, and state-of-the-art AugmentedReality police equipment to help them in their role as the last line of defence for mankind. Both are used for some stunningly mundane work:
** Normal people can't see Legions or the Astral Chain. A Legionis [[{{Synchronization}} shares sensation]] with their legion. Eavesdropping is as easy as hiding around the corner and parking the big glowy blue thing in earshot.
** The Beast Legion can track scents in a busy city and locate things buried underground. About half the time you'll be tracking down dropped items or lost pets, and the Beast digs up cat food with hilarious frequency.
** Most Legions hover off the ground, so retrieving lost or stuck items is as simple as a wave of your hand.
** Chain Binding is used to tangle Chimeras for a few seconds to land some attacks. It doesn't actually hurt and most humans can't escape on their own, which makes subduing a fleeing person trivial.
** The IRIS provides name and profile information on a person just by looking at them. This can be used to cheat some kids at a shell game.
** If using a Chimera-sensing camera to take selfies isn't mundane enough, you can hand the camera to a Legion so they can back up and get the perfect shot for you.
* One lore entry in ''VideoGame/Destiny2'' reveals that when [[MagnificentBastard Mara Sov]] isn't using [[spoiler:the wish-granting magic of her pet [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Ahamkara]] ]] for her grand schemes, she uses it to ''make booty calls''. With ''[[BoisterousBruiser Lord Shaxx]]''.
** The technology of the enemy Vex faction is built for versatility, and anything that can hurt you (i.e., most of their stuff you encounter) likely has a non-military purpose as well. Often, in fact, the civilian use is the more important one. Minotaurs, their hulking shock-troopers, are also their architects and construction workers, and are bigger than the average model so that they can contain the processing power necessary to conceptualise the insanely complicated Vex architecture. Cyclopes, massive, immobile gun-turrets, are navigation beacons that coordinate the Vex's omnipresent space/time teleportation. With the exception of artillery pieces like the Minotaur's Torch Hammer, all of their weapons are terminals designed for receiving energy transmissions from elsewhere in space and time and projecting them a short distance, making them powerful communication and construction tools when they're not turned to the lethal setting and spewing plasma bolts all over the place.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Rimworld}}'' mod ''A Rimworld of Magic'' has a number of spells and abilities that can be used automatically and outside combat. Your mages and fighters will gain far more experience using their short-range teleport abilities to get around your base than using their abilities in combat.
* ''VideoGame/JourneyToTheSavagePlanet'' uses NanoMachines to make [[FutureFoodIsArtificial nutrient paste]] taste good. While it comes out as a purple goo, once activated, it reconfigures into real (if occasionally disgusting) food. It has ''four trillion'' flavors. This could be done just as well by simply flavoring the paste with additives in the same way candy is, but hey. The specific brand of nutrient goo featured ("Grob") is noted to be 4th Best overall, so there's probably more expensive nutrient pastes available that never rolls snake eyes and ends up looking and tasting like deep-fried shit.

* ''VideoGame/HouseFlipper'''s ''Cyberpunk Flipper'' DLC adds a new tool. It's a flamethrower. Used for cleaning trash.

* In the mobile TimeManagementGame ''VideoGame/PotionPunch'', you use a variety of magical creatures to help you run a shop. For example, in the first location you have a slew of baby dragons you use to grill fish. Later, you can also summon spirits of legendary heroes to assist you with shopkeeping. For example, one of these heroes is a dragon tamer queen, who uses her powers so the aforementioned baby dragons don't overcook the fish.
* ''VideoGame/TotalAnnihilation'' has the Commander's D-Gun. Strongest weapon in the game, passes through any armour and will kill any enemy - including experimentals - in a single shot. Most widespread use? Clearing out the base area from plants and derelict units so you can build in peace.
* ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' allows you to use your sword/dagger/hammer to cut weeds scattered about. This goes one step further after update 1.5 if the weapon has the Haymaker enhancement, which also yields hay from weeds cut with the weapon, to keep your farm animals well-fed.
* In the ''VideoGame/CityBuildingSeries'', ''VideoGame/ZeusMasterOfOlympus'' and ''VideoGame/EmperorRiseOfTheMiddleKingdom'' have {{Physical Religion}}s where you can entice gods and ancestral heroes to walk the streets of your city. You can then put them to work blessing your buildings (for free materials and/or improved efficiency), helping out the administration of your city, and even catching animals for your personal menagerie.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' games, alchemy can be used for things as fantastic as making a PhilosophersStone or the components needed to build an airship. However, it is quite often used for things like cooking or simple repair work, as well as making items which help to fight the monsters which plague alchemists when they're out gathering the ingredients to make said items.

----

* One of ''VideoGame/SpiderManMilesMorales'' earliest missions sees Mile use his newly discovering ability to produce thousands of volts of lethal electricity within a second... to light up his apartment's Christmas lights after a blackout.
-----

* In ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'', a lot of Psynergy falls into UtilityMagic, but some simply have Mundane Utility. Whirlwind can be used to clear away vines obstructing goals (or set dangling chains/vines/ropes in motion for some swinging); Frost can be used to bridge gaps by turning a puddle of water into a giant ice pillar; Growth can be used to turn random sprouts into climbable vines.

** Can't get much more into the spirit of this trope than ''[[VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn Dark Dawn]]'''s take on [[spoiler: the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Sol Blade]]]], which explodes into fire, calls meteors from the heavens... and ''[[spoiler: [[BonusDungeon opens doors]]]]''.

* In ''[[VideoGame/DarkSeed Dark Seed II]]'', Mike acquires a bio-mechanical machine gun and a magnetic crossbow. What does he use them for? Cheating at carnival games.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{inFamous}}'' series, protagonist Cole [=MacGrath=] frequently uses his powerful [[ShockAndAwe electric abilities]] to recharge batteries and other electronics. Hell, Cole and his best friend Zeke tried to set up a business after Cole discovered his powers and the quarantine was set up where Cole would charge up batteries in exchange for food. This backfired because [[RealityEnsues people were naturally terrified of his powers]].

* ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3'' has a creative use of the powerful plasma beam. In previous games it was your InfinityMinusOneSword, capable of tearing through hostile creatures quickly, second only to weapons found during the final boss encounter. It turns out if Samus turns the power down, she can use the Plasma Beam as a simple welding torch to fix broken security panels.

* ''VideoGame/MutantLeagueFootball'' features a wide variety of freakish species using their many natural talents, weapons and bloodlust in the service of playing American Football. Alien criminal scum dumped on the living hell known as Earth? Play football. Bitten by a radioactive wolf and mutated into a rabid lycanthrope? ''Play football''. Self-aware war machine with no wars left to fight? '''Play football'''.

* ''Mutant League Football'' features a wide variety of freakish species using their many natural talents, weapons and bloodlust in the service of playing American Football. Alien criminal scum dumped on the living hell known as Earth? Play football. Bitten by a radioactive wolf and mutated into a rabid lycanthrope? ''Play football''. Self-aware war machine with no wars left to fight? '''Play football'''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}''

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}''
** Marisa Kirisame has a Mini-Hakkero. It can be used for cooking, and for firing [[KamehameHadoken gigantic laser beams]]. And before you start guessing, she is not a LethalChef. Marisa was also noted in the story material for ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'' to have relocated a hot spring with her magic...for indoor heating in the winter.

** In Eientei, Kaguya uses her power to manipulate eternity to make the mansion timeless, so the house would not degrade over time, and food would not go bad. Shortly before the events of ''Silent Sinner in Blue'', however, she stops doing it, and begins to appreciate the passage of time in her home once more.

** Similarly, in the official manga ''Strange and Bright Nature Deity'', Youmu unsuccessfully tries to convince Marisa and Reimu to stop collecting ghosts in jars and [[GhostlyChill using them as air conditioners]].
** Eirin is an [[TimeAbyss absurdly old]] super-genius that invented a potion for immortality, as well as who knows what else. After the events of ''Imperishable Night'' she used her abilities to open a clinic, providing medicine for youkai and humans.

** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnkQ3kozyhw Touhou Soccer]]'', where the girls unleash their unbelievably powerful magic/world-crushing [[KamehameHadoken energy beams]]/RealityWarper powers/whatever...to play ''soccer''. Yes. Whatever they're using for a soccer ball, it must be ''goddamn invincible''.

** ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' features a meta-example in one of the game engine's new features, "world portals", which can link any two areas just like standard portals but are meant to be placed in mid-air, seamlessly integrate with the environment, and can have standard portals shot through them. The result: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xFbRecjKQA crazy non-Euclidean geometry]] similar to what late '90s engines were capable of. What did Valve use it for? Building maps in chunks during early development instead of having to make everything line up. Those maps were all eventually rejiggered back into a coherent Euclidean whole except one, which involves a room that's slightly BiggerOnTheInside, but just barely.

* ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}''

* ''VideoGame/BioShock''

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''

* ''{{VideoGame/Undertale}}'': Toriel, a powerful fire mage, uses magic to cook her dinner and keep her fireplace lit. A diner in Snowdin is staffed by fire elementals, presumably for the same reason.

* VideoGame/RuneScape's Divination skill revolves around channeling the divine energy of the gods to create do-it-yourself miracles. One of the most common uses is "Sign of the Porter", which instantly transfers items to your bank account.

* In ''Videogame/{{Stellaris}}'', you can research PoweredArmor to boost your armies' combat ability. The same powered exoskeletons are also used by your empire's miners to produce additional minerals.

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'' in a heart-to-heart between Reyn and [[{{Fan Nickname}} Seven]], it is mentioned that Reyn once tried to use the Monado to cut vegetables

* The ''{{VideoGame/Rimworld}}'' mod ''A Rimworld of Magic'' has a number of spells and abilities that can be used automatically and outside combat. Your mages and fighters will gain far more experience using their short-range teleport abilities to get around your base than using their abilities in combat.

** Also, Mega Man's [[MegaManning Variable Weapons System]] is actually an inversion. Since he was originally a housekeeper robot, said system is actually used for replicating ''normal'' household tools. Only in his conversion into a fighting robot was the system adapted for combat purposes.

** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'': Kano's friendship involves him using his eye laser to light a barbecue grill.

* VideoGame/TotalAnnihilation has the Commander's D-Gun. Strongest weapon in the game, passes through any armour and will kill any enemy - including experimentals - in a single shot. Most widespread use? Clearing out the base area from plants and derelict units so you can build in peace.

** Finally, in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', the Inquisitor receives a glowing sigil on their left hand that can be used to unleash magical destruction on their enemies, close holes in the fabric of reality, create shields that make the entire party invulnerable to damage, and act as a light source in the dark.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': '''The Master Sword.''' The fabled Blade of Evil's Bane. Forged and blessed by the Goddesses to defeat the vilest demons and sorcerers that may threaten the world. ''Lawn mower.''

*** The bombs you get at the beginning of the game? Those make for excellent forest-clearers, especially since the cooldown is a fraction of a second, and this way, you don't use valuable weapon durability. Probably not the use the Sheikah intended.