Need to know how someone really works under pressure? Play a game of Overcooked.
By: Pearl Lee
Tags: Overcooked, Gaming, Human Behavior, Performance, Pressure

This four-minute game is great to help managers understand how people respond to high-stress environments, or simply to gain self-awareness.

Over the weekend I played Overcooked with two different groups of friends. There was a lot of muttering, screaming of impolite words, and good guidance.

Warning: the game is extremely addictive. I found myself playing round after challenging round to the point of mental exhaustion.

I played the game with two different groups of friends but still managed to find similarities in how I reacted and how other players reacted.

I remarked to a friend that Overcooked makes an excellent game to understand how people respond to high-stress environments, especially for managers and was inspired to write this post.

Let’s destress. Or will we?

What is Overcooked?

Overcooked is a cooperative (and chaotic) game played on video game consoles (example pictured above). Players prepare, cook, and serve as many dishes as they can in possibly the worst kitchen on earth! Things get shifted around, there’s only one sink to wash a few plates, and fires happen when you’re not looking. But the orders never stop coming in.

The menu keeps changing and the kitchen maps get more complex as you progress — so instead of just getting ingredients, chopping them up, and serving them, you might find yourself having to navigate sudden chasms, shifting stairs, or pesky pedestrians.

Overcooked is a four-minute simulation of a work situation where there is intense or prolonged stress.

This is the perfect game to understand how a team reacts to changing workflows and pressuring situations. It’s very different from say, a racing game like Mario Kart, which has less to do with the real world.

The maps keep changing. Good luck, have fun.

Types of players

I’ve noticed that there are several types of players. I didn’t want to group them into “bad” or “good” since these archetypes have their own strengths and weaknesses.

The actions can be analogous to work situations where there is high pressure to perform in an uncertain environment. Some traits could be functional, but ineffective.

For this fun take on Overcooked and how it relates to performance, I assume all players can perform basic tasks using game consoles. The game itself is very easy to pick up and a lot more emphasis is on coordination rather than precision.

1/ The “tell me what to do!”s

These players are actively passive.

They tend to scream at others to tell them what to do when it gets busy. The funny thing is, they’re really assertive about wanting to be told what to do!

Once they’re delegated that task though, they’ll stick through it. When a stressful situation arises, such as a fire, they tend to be the ones raising the alarm first.

Coaches or managers need to respond to these players immediately by directing them to an urgent task, or a consistent workflow, such as chopping ingredients.

2/ The dishwashers

These players are truly passive.

They start washing the dishes and cleaning up when they have no idea what to do. They like to stay busy, but don’t like to admit loudly that they are not sure where to start.

And they’re under-utilised because there are only so many dishes to wash. Someone NEEDS to tell them what to do!

For dishwashers (I’m guilty), take more initiative in asking for help, or realign yourself to the game’s objectives and take stock of what’s happening.

Coaches need to keep a lookout for people who start to engage in routine work — are they disengaged? Are they falling out of touch with the workflow and objectives? Consider what such players can do when it’s “off-peak” for them, such as putting the ingredients together to form the dish and serve food.

3/ The lone wolves

These players are passively active.

They keep trying to do everything, but in the process, they get in the way. It would have been much more productive if they had just delegated the work.

Still, they’re getting work done — just not in the most effective manner, nor the most adaptable since they have to readjust to different teammates or workflows when the map changes.

For these players, they need to understand that ironically, bearing too much burden makes poor teamwork. These players make great assistant coaches because they know what to do so well. They just need to work on delegating and better communication.

4/ That one friend who refuses to play but still coaches

These players are mentally engaged, but passive. They do make great consultants!

This friend refuses to play but still coaches pretty damn well. Because she gets the bird’s eye view, she is able to prioritise far better than those who are actually playing.

She is also able to direct players to follow through better, for instance, placing the right ingredients on the table rather than throwing them on the floor.

So what do effective players do?

I found that the best players tend to help coordinate by:

1/ Looking at the menu actively

This helps the team understand the key requirements. Wrong orders result in point deductions, so there’s an added incentive of getting things right the first time.

2/ Calling out the exact requirements

This helps the team understand exactly what resources are needed. In turn, team members should clarify their exact role by responding to the requirements exactly and seek not to duplicate them.

For instance, the leader would say, “We need one meat.” The team member should respond exactly, “I am now getting the meat.” And another team member might say, “Give me the meat and I will chop it.”

3/ Providing feedback

Effective players help to inform others whether they’re doing too much (and therefore creating waste or chaos), or too little (therefore delegating them urgent tasks). This is why performance reviews are so important as well!

4/ When **** hits the fan

Effective players identify and direct the right person — the one with most role-flexibility or skill— to fight fire.

Assistant leaders

Remember the lone wolf? This player is likely to be the most nimble and could make a great assistant coach.

But if she is unable to lead, she could potentially focus on putting the order together and serving it since that requires the strongest grasp of console-control and game objectives.

Gaining self-awareness through gaming

My conclusion about Overcooked is that it acts as a mirror to us in high-pressure situations, showing us how we truly react.

For instance, I found out my tendency to be the “dishwasher”. I keep to myself and fail to communicate as often when confused or overwhelmed. I can combat this by asking for help or trying to actively understand the big picture and workflows of other teammates to know how I fit in.

But the best part about Overcooked? It shows us that friendships can be forged despite all that screaming at each other — and we still want to play more of it. Together.