Nitpick: The EU didn't mandate intrusive consent popups. That was malicious compliance and/or laziness by advertisers, GDPR "tool" developers, and website owners. Website developers could've put an "opt in to tracking" option in a separate settings page that users would click on a gear icon in the top right corner to access.
Why does it have to be a "distracting" experience? What if the game was showing you where to cut to get uniform slices and grading the uniformity of your cuts? Then you'd be focused on the activitiy at hand while still enjoying that sweet sweet gamified dopamine hit.
I can't wait for the day games like "PowerWash Simulator" or "Supermarket Simulator" come to VR. Imagine, you could wash stuff or work at a supermarket, while also exercising your body!