Some developers, both indie and triple-A, have found ways to make in-game eating feel exciting and worthwhile, proving that food-centric video games were possible all along. Luckily, even if boring food in video games is a pattern, it’s not a rule. Almost universally, it feels like video game developers view food as nourishment and nothing more, dooming their characters to exist on pixelated meal replacement bars and nutrition shakes. In action games, food is usually the slow, crappy way to heal your character-the last resort when you’re out of medical kits or potions-and in survival games, eating is usually more of a resource management problem than a part of the game meant to surprise and delight. My problem is that food and its associated pleasures almost always feel like an afterthought. Like, in a medium where just about anything is possible, I don’t need to spend my time peeling potatoes and mincing garlic for a stew. To be clear, I don’t mean that food mechanics aren’t realistic enough. I’d always loved video games and cooking as separate hobbies, but enjoying both at once left me with a lingering question: Why does the food in video games pretty much always suck?
In handheld mode, I could pass the time while soups simmered and bread doughs doubled in size by running laps in Mario Kart, exploring the world of Skyrim, or rehearsing Super Smash Bros. When lockdown started, I spent hours in my kitchen playing games on my Nintendo Switch.