Claw Game
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It's difficult for my husband and my son to walk by one of these machines and not put money into the slot. It doesn't matter if you call it a 'Claw Machine' or a 'Crane Game', they not only can be addictive to play, but they are also rigged!

Fans of the 'Claw Machine' would like to believe that they have a hidden talent when it comes to winning the cute, stuffed bear that sits in the corner, ever-so-slightly wedged between the Minnesota Vikings hat and the vinyl Timberwolves basketball. But mastering this brightly, colored game of chance has nothing to do with your ability to judge where to drop the giant, shiny claw. Instead, it comes down to just how many treasures the company wants you to win.

A recently released video by the general interest news site Vox, shows some interesting findings about 'Claw Machines' and the software inside of them. As it turns out, there are several different adjustable settings in these games of chance. Settings that control the strength of the claw's grip and how long the grip will hold (at maximum power) the much desired treasure. These settings are then tweaked by the owner of the game.

Vox was able to look at at least one instruction manual for a 'Claw Machine' that read,

Managing profit is made easy, simply input the coin value, the average value of the merchandise, and the profit level. The machine will automatically calculate when to send full strength to the claw.

And don't think it was a shaky, nervous hand that caused the claw to drop that prize. The 'Claw Machines' also have a variable that controls the "dropping skill", which programs the game to "accidentally" drop the prize just before you drop it into the toy shoot.

For those of us who are realists, we probably already know these cold hard facts. But for those that insist they are 'Claw Machine' masters, show them this video. But remember, this may be a difficult concept for them to grasp - so be gentle with them.

Source: Yahoo Games

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