The Erangel map is a strange place. It simulates a disordered civilization: no laws, no government, no moral discipline, only weapons, confrontation and shrinking “safe zones”. The moment everyone is born, it is equivalent to receiving a death countdown. Does it sound like a condensed version of the real world? It’s just that the pace is faster and the muzzle is more direct.
But now, there is something more in this place. A fast food chain brand – yes, the one that symbolizes “high calories, low cost, and fast foodism” in reality, suddenly appeared in this wasteland. The gas station has been transformed into KFC, where players can order a “fried chicken meal”, the game nickname will be displayed on the ordering screen, and then you will get a “fried chicken” that can restore blood.
No, fried chicken is not the point, and blood recovery is not the point. The point is – in a scene where gunshots and falling to the ground are daily, we actually need a fried chicken.
This is ridiculous, but also very real.
You can understand this setting as a commercial implantation, a “trick” in game design. But if you are willing to stop and think about it, you will find that it reveals a particularly contemporary metaphor. It tells you: even in a highly virtual and extremely competitive digital space, humans still cannot get rid of the need for a “sense of life”. It’s not eating chicken, but “eating fried chicken” – these are two completely different rhetoric. “Eating chicken” is a survival strategy, a competition between algorithms and reaction speed; “eating fried chicken” is a ritual, a symbolic comfort, it may not have practical uses, but it represents a very old-fashioned belief: people can’t just prove themselves by winning, they have to eat better when they are alive. Of course, its design is still very rational and “realistic”. You can only order once per game, and you can only take a second bite after the fourth stage. The designers don’t want you to indulge in it. They give you the illusion of warmth, but also remind you: warmth is a supporting role, and survival is the main line. Isn’t this also the logic of social operation that we are accustomed to? You are encouraged to consume, but don’t forget to continue working; your emotions are allowed to flow, but it doesn’t mean that the system will slow down for you.
This virtual fast food restaurant is not only in Erangel, but also expanded to Miramar, Sanhok, Vikendi… Even manned aircraft have hung its banner. It feels like you just opened your eyes and the screen pushed a bunch of “Today’s Hot Sale Package” notifications; you just wanted to think about something else, and an advertisement popped up again. You can’t choose “not to see it”, it diffuses in all spaces like air, including the virtual battlefield you once thought was “pure”.
But players do not reject it, and even like it. Why? Because it does provide a very specific pleasure. It extends the diet logic in the real world – “fill your stomach and get comfort” – to the logic of the game. People accept it because they are used to looking for “instant satisfaction” in every gap in life: watching short videos, ordering takeout, posting barrages, playing games… Now, these things are beginning to merge with each other.
A battlefield that should have only bullets and enemies was “softened” by a virtual fried chicken. This “softening” is charming and dangerous. It makes people think they are in control of their destiny, but in fact they are just accepting another milder discipline.
But then again, maybe life is just like this. You can choose to keep charging, hiding, and eating chicken, or you can stand in front of a dilapidated KFC for a while, press the order button, and watch your ID appear on the screen. You will suddenly realize that even in the most inhumane world, people still want to be identified, confirmed, and fed.
“Who you are” may not be important, but “what you ordered” becomes important.
This sounds a bit absurd, but also a bit touching.