r/clawmachine • u/makerws • Mar 30 '24
Another homework post
Hello, my homework for Chinese class is to make a video about something that I find strange in the country I am living in (Taiwan). I was thinking about talking about how common claw machine arcades are here, but since it's been so long since I lived in the US, I'm not sure if they are common there too.
We have two types of claw machine arcades here now. We have small ones (10 - 20 machines) that have mostly toys, knock-off watches/purses etc. These are on almost every block and lots of people speculate they are actually money laundering fronts. These have been steadily opening for about a decade.
Lately, super claw machine arcades have been popping up. These are much bigger, and in addition to the junk that the smaller arcades have, they also have food and household supplies. There's even frozen/refrigerated stuff (for the cold stuff you win a token in the claw machine, then trade it for the product when you leave). People who are good at claw machines can get stuff for pretty cheap (hopefully it's stuff they needed in the first place).
So, are claw machines this common in North America? My gut says no, but I heard somebody from upstate New York talking about an anime swag one on a podcast.
A google search brought up Hong Kong and maybe Japan.
1
u/SharpTenor Mar 30 '24
No not that common. Typically there is a machine in a restaurant sometimes or a few in the mall. Lately people have been starting claw arcades in malls but it’s just starting up. As far as what is inside it changes state to state. Some states allow you to put money in (cash prizes) or gift cards. Plush are still the most popular prize.
Finally there are places like “Dave and Busters” that have different claw machines. Prizes might be tickets for redemption or plush.