Video games - Claw vending machine

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	Video games - Claw vending machine

A claw vending machine is a type of arcade game in the form of a vending machine. It consists of prizes, usually plush toys, inside a cage made of glass with a claw attached to the ceiling of the cage. The player puts coins into the machine, which then allows the player to manipulate a joystick that controls the claw for a short period of time, usually 15 or 30 seconds (it is rare for a claw vending machine to offer a full minute of time). The player is able to move the claw back and forth and sideways, but not up or down. At the end of that time (or earlier if the player presses a trigger button on the joystick), the claw drops down and makes a gripping attempt. The claw then moves over an opening in the corner of the cage and releases whatever it holds, if it holds anything. If the player is successful, then the prize the claw is holding is dropped into the opening and dispensed to a hatched box for pickup by the player.

In general, while getting the claw to pick up a prize is relatively easy, having the claw hold the prize long enough to bring it to the opening is harder. The claws are usually engineered to have a low probability of a successful grab for casual players, though skilled players have a considerably higher probability of success.

East Asia

Japanese claw vending machines are sometimes called UFO catchers.

In East Asia, live animals are occasionally the prize in the claw game. In Chinese supermarkets, a live crab or lobster can be won, presumably to be eaten by the winner. In Japan, pet turtles can be won. Given the possibly long life span of turtles (more than 30 years), the prize of a 30 second arcade game has the potential of impacting the player's life for many years (having a long-lived pet). Of course, these prizes are in addition to the standard teddy bears and toys that are offered by claw games in other parts of the world.

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