This is it. Only one obstacle remains in your quest for that chicken dinner. As an onslaught of bullets flies past, you unload everything you have onto your foe. Suddenly a bullet connects, your enemy stumbles and falls to the ground. You have just won PUBG. “WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER” flashes on the screen. A sense of satisfaction washes over you as the game rewards you with… points?
After overcoming various struggles and emerging triumphant, it can be disappointing when players receive only a few measly points. Sure, the player may have a fleeting sense of victory, but no one else will ever know of their achievement. The 800 battle points (BP) awarded is often not enough to purchase a crate, with other players sometimes earning more points than the winner. This is especially true if you play with a squad, with winning points being split among all members. Depending on your squad size, that could mean only 200 BP per person, which is barely ¼ the cost of a loot crate.
Crates themselves are normally filled with low-quality cosmetic gear and typically double in price after each purchase, with the first crate of the week costing 700 BP. Most of the gear they contain can be easily found scattered across the map and only recycle for around 20 BP. This can be a bit discouraging when your sixth crate of the week costs 7K BP to purchase and probably contains a red t-shirt in it. So unless you like being an easy target, such rewards are utterly useless. To put it bluntly, PUBG needs a new system to reward its players.
Players should be able to show off their victory to others, gloat about it even. Hell, they just survived a match against 90+ other people, they earned the right to. But what should they receive? It may sound dumb, but the prize should be something chicken related. After all, Brendan Greene (a.k.a PlayerUnknown) loves to include that oh so famous chicken dinner line in all his games.
Before we continue, it may be of benefit to discuss the origin of the phrase “Winner winner chicken dinner.” The phrase has two possible origins, with the more known and accepted one originating in Las Vegas. Years ago, the minimum bet in Vegas was $2, and coincidentally a chicken dinner cost slightly less than $2. Winning meant you could afford to buy a chicken dinner, hence the phrase. Alternatively, the phrase can also be traced to back alley craps during the Depression. When money was used, winning meant that the person was able to eat a chicken dinner that night, a luxury at the time.
As for possible in-game rewards, any item introduced needs to be something noticeable, something that says “I’m a winner.” A cosmetic would be perfect, like a chicken hat or bandanna. You might laugh at first, but when a person wearing a chicken hat pulls out an S12K you won’t be laughing much longer. Such cosmetics would clearly demonstrate a player’s mastery of the game and intimidate their opponents. Besides, if Snake can pull it off, anyone can.
Perhaps something more subtle would be better. A small, customizable medal might do the trick. This medal could be added to a player’s loadout and be upgraded when certain criteria is met; i.e. winning X amount of games. Even an emote would be acceptable. Reward winners with a chicken dance emote so they can taunt their fallen foes one last time. Let’s be real, tea-bagging is over, the chicken dance is the future!
If all else fails, PUBG should give players a literal in-game chicken dinner. This item could replace Med Kits for past winners and be used to recover health. Just thinking about that delicious chicken makes my mouth water. Of course, any item rewards for winning would have to be non-tradable.
Almost anything would be better than PUBG’s current reward system. Even awarding players a free crate would probably make them happier. Winning a PUBG match is no easy feat, and players deserve something to remember their victory. Who knows, maybe someday we will get to have our chicken and eat it too.
This post was originally authored by Eric Wilusz.
