I'm not sure why everyone is bashing the OP since they're right. A lot of 'for fun' gameplay systems have been added with deliberate timesink gating mechanisms that make them entirely not fun.

Triple Triad, for example is a fun mini-game in its own right but getting new cards is such a chore that most people have simply given up on even bothering. If a gameplay system that is supposed to be fun is so unrewarding that players have largely given up on it then there is something seriously wrong with the design behind that system.

The same goes for chocobo racing and the sightseeing log, as the OP points out. In fact the sightseeing log is a great example because the new sightseeing log in Heavensward areas actually is fun since there are no ridiculous time and weather requirements... you simply have to find the location and work out the correct emote to use. The very fact this changed in the new log suggests SE is aware of how self-defeating the absurd gating on the original log was.

'For fun' content should not be a timesink. It should be something fun to do when you're tired of the countless other timesinks already in the game.