Aperture Desk Job
LQ: 8.8
Recommended Age: 8+
Skills Used: Focus, Working Memory, Reading
Master Chef: Let’s Cook! is a cooking simulation game where the player is a contestant on a game show competing to see who can make the best meal. The player receives three criteria from the judges and then needs to select from their available list of ingredients in order to make a dish to present. The player makes the food by participating in small touch-screen based mini games like slicing onions, boiling pasta, mixing ingredients, and decorating their final presentation. Based on how quickly the player was able to make the meal, how well they performed in the mini games, and how many criteria they were able to satisfy, they receive a final score. The experience gained when making a meal goes towards unlocking future “episodes” of the show where the player gets additional ingredients and outfits that they can use to customize their character.
Players can also unlock additional recipes, or level their current recipes up, giving themselves more experience when that particular dish is chosen. For players who like an additional challenge, there are daily challenges where players can earn boxes filled with food cards to level up recipes or utensils and outfits to customize their character.
Master Chef is currently available for free with a subscription to Apple Arcade.
Focus: Getting started and then maintaining attention and effort to tasks.
In order to successfully complete the chosen recipe, the player needs to be able to block out distractions and pay attention to the task at hand. Whether they are peeling an avocado, slicing some beef, or boiling ramen, the player needs to be able to focus on what they are doing in the moment and execute the step with as few mistakes as possible. For players who struggle with focusing, choosing a simple recipe and sticking with it until the tasks in the kitchen become easier is a good strategy before trying tackle complex recipes with more complicated ingredients and more steps.
Time Management: Working under pressure.
Players are awarded more points for finishing their food as quickly as possible, so players need to become comfortable with working under pressure. If the player thinks too much about how long they are taking it may cause them to slip up and make mistakes, causing them to fall even further behind. Players who struggle with working under pressure should try a dish they are comfortable with and perfect the steps without worrying about the time and then go back when they feel confident with the steps to the recipe and work on the time portion.
All membership plans come with full access to our entire suite of tools learning guides, and resources. Here are a few of the ones we think you’ll like the most: