A KFC VR training game is capturing the attention of more than just the fast food chain’s employees. The virtual reality game is actually a new ap that has been integrated into the company’s training programs, and some find it hilarious, while a few see it as somewhat of a nightmare. It all depends on two things: whether you play video games and, if you do, what kinds of games you play.
KFC VR training game on the Oculus Rift
Employees are playing the KFC VR training game on Facebook’s Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. The game incorporates a few different types of games. It’s a classic escape room game mixed with cooking in a creepy setting that some compare to the dystopian BioShock world. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a modern Colonel Sanders narrates the game, which forces players to learn how to fry chicken, and they don’t get to leave the scary room they’re in until they learn successfully.
Because the game is in first-person, being virtual reality and all, the player sees only their hands as they learn to fry chicken using the five-step process used at KFC. The first step is inspecting, followed by rinsing, and then breading, followed by racking, and finally, pressure-frying. Meanwhile, Colonel Sanders laughs hauntingly and verbally prods the employee while they learn.
The horror game gets off and running when he shouts, “Release the birds!” Immediately after, a whole bag of chicken parts falls from the ceiling of the room. Trainees must then follow the five-step process to complete the task, and if they fail, they’re locked in that room forever. Colonel Sanders is there to keep those who fail from getting too lonely as they live out eternity, but apparently, his voice is right on par with the types of voices that are commonplace in horror games. Thus, one probably wouldn’t want to be locked up forever with someone so creepy.
Why is KFC using such a strange training game?
A press release from the fast food chain operator states they the KFC VR training game has cut the amount of time it takes to train employees dramatically. Apparently, it only takes 10 minutes for the app to train workers how to fry chicken using the company’s proprietary process, while it used to take 25 minutes to do it before the game was added to the training program. It’s also possible that KFC is cutting back on wasted product because if trainees were actually frying real chicken rather than virtual chicken, a lot of food could be wasted.
However, a spokesperson for the company told Eater that the KFC VR training game isn’t a replacement for the hands-on training. The person explained that the game is aimed at supplementing the training the company already had in place. The fast food chain has over 19,000 cooks across all of its U.S. locations, and the spokesperson described the KFC VR training game “a fun way to celebrate the work” all those workers do.
The KFC VR training game is a very unorthodox way to train employees, but then, this company has been coming up with all kinds of unusual things to sell to diners, such as the Chizza, and strange promotions like the KFC smartphone. It will be interesting to see just how long this game lasts and whether it leads to the types of food-borne illness problems Chipotle Mexican Grill has dealt with. It’s hard to imagine that employees will actually learn anything playing a horror game like this one.
