From the beginning, this game called “PUBG” was not meant to give people stability. It makes you born into a world full of crises. It is very similar to real life, without giving you extra preparation time or the opportunity to choose your own destiny. You only have a torn coat, a pair of muddy boots, an empty schoolbag, and run wildly in the war.
But recently someone said that a new KFC fast food restaurant has opened on this map called Erangel. When I heard the news, I laughed, thinking that it was like a fountain in a city emerging from the yellow earth, too unreal, even a little absurd. But later I saw it with my own eyes, and I knew it was not a joke.
The gas station has long been abandoned, with mottled walls and bullet holes on the iron door. But now it has been modified, with a red and white sign hanging on the door, which is particularly eye-catching in the smoke and cold wind. When the player approaches, he can place an order at a self-service ordering machine, and his name will be displayed on the screen. It was like a farmer who had been poor for most of his life walking into the city for the first time and getting his household registration book for the first time. He was excited.
They ordered a “fried chicken meal” with fried chicken, French fries and drinks. But in this game, these are no longer food, but healing props: chicken legs can replenish blood, French fries can relieve pain, and drinks can make you run faster again. When the character uses it, he will bite a chicken leg seriously, with slow movements, but with an indescribable solemnity. At that moment, it seemed as if life outside the game was moved in, and the desolate battlefield also felt like home.
In each game, each person can only use it once in each KFC. You have to wait until the fourth stage to eat another one. This makes me admire the designer especially. He is like a strict father, not allowing you to eat and drink as much as you want, but also not letting you stay hungry. He seems to know that people, no matter how hard or tired they are, if they still think about a hot meal in their hearts, then they can still endure this life.
Later I found out that this fast food restaurant is not only in Erangel, but also in Miramar, Sanhok, Vikendi… Even the plane at the beginning of the game had a KFC banner. This reminds me of the radio car in the last century, driving over the village, playing revolutionary songs and dropping a few leaflets. You may not believe it, but you remember it.
I remember that when I was a child, I also grew up in a difficult era. At that time, eating a piece of meat would make me happy for a long time. During the Chinese New Year, my mother saved money and made a steaming meal. The whole family gathered around the small kang table. Even if it was snowing outside the window, we felt that life was going well. Today, the fried chicken in this game is probably the taste of that New Year’s Eve dinner – it may not really fill your stomach, but it can support a tired heart.
Those players running on the battlefield may be students, office workers who work overtime, or young people far away from their hometown. They wear headphones and sit in front of the computer. They seem to be immersed in the game, but they are actually escaping from reality. They need a place to take a breath, and someone to tell them: You are not a tool, and you are not fighting an endless battle. You can still have a hot meal in a corner.
And this fried chicken is that corner.
I don’t think this is a great breakthrough in technology, nor do I think it is a great design in the history of games. But I know that in an era full of pressure, in a society where everyone is competing for victory like “eating chicken”, such details can make people remember what “human taste” is.
Not everyone can win first place. But as long as you can still eat a bite of food, hot and fragrant, like my mother made when I was a child, you will not lose completely.