The mds command? Not sure what you mean.
Yes, that’s why it’s an option.
Verifying signatures and notarisation are expensive operations. Apple’s server may need to be contacted especially for the latter.
AppleScript is slow, but not that slow. It’s fast enough for that number of results, and it’s done efficiently. I have workflows which handle more results than that without breaking a sweat.
Another thing you can try is to remove quarantine even from the signed and notarised apps. That is because apps without the quarantine bit are skipped, so removing it from those will skip the check, and be faster.
By the way, congratulations on the gaming awards! I don’t own a Playdate, but if I ever get to try one I know whose games I’ll want to try first.