The player

Cooking shows are ubiquitous on TV, and now videogames are tapping into our culinary interest, writes JOE GRIFFIN

The Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim is many things: it's the game that challenged Modern Warfare 3's supremacy in the run-up to Christmas; it's a vast, vast role-playing game (RPG); and it's the source of simple recipes for spells which the player must concoct.

RPGs and massive multiplayer online games are under constant pressure to offer more depth and scope than their competitors. For some gamers, cooking is a step too far, but others have embraced their inner chef.

Food as a power-up has always been a staple of gaming, from Mario's mushroom to the chicken in Streets of Rage. World of Warcrafttakes it to another level – offering details of the ingredients in power-up foods: meat, plus flour with an acquired agriculture skill equals meat pastry, for example. Whether one has access to the aardvark for its famous Aardvark Pie is another story.

Most games (happily) don’t go into too much detail, but for real-life game-inspired cuisine, the Gourmet Gaming blog offers elaborate recipes based on food that appears in games.

Gourmet Gaming first came to this writer's attention with its recipe for the chicken sandwich in Grand Theft Auto IV,better known as Cluckin' Bell Foul Burger (as found in the game's fictitious restaurant chain).

Along with a step-by-step detailed recipe, the blog shows a photo of the dish next to a screen grab of the food in the game.

Other highlights include Yeto's Soup from Zeldaand (by reader request) The Sims Key Lime Pie and Metal Gear Solid Rations (a meat stew served in a can). Deadly Premonition's"sinner's sandwich" is surprisingly tasty and simple; mixing turkey, strawberry preserve and a cereal of choice (I recommend rice crispies).

Another logical conclusion would be a game-themed restaurant chain, either inspired by the likes of Cluckin’ Bell, or offering general themed treats. The menu practically writes itself: Yeto’s soup could precede a Sonic chilli dog which is followed by a Pac-Man fruit dish. I, for one, would be happy to dine on the meat-based dishes from your typical RPG.

Before you snort in derision, remember that it's already happed with films: Bubba-Gump Shrimp restaurants sprang up across America after Forrest Gump.