Claw machine and Cancale: Difference between pages

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{{French commune

{{weasel}}

|nomcommune=Cancale<br>[[Image:France_Cancale_bordercropped.jpg|300px]]<br><small>The fishing port of Cancale</small>

{{redirect|Claw game|the computer game|Claw (computer game)}}

|région=[[Bretagne]]

[[Image:Snorkelling_with_the_swollen_purple_head.JPG|thumb|right|The glass cage of a claw vending machine]]

|département=[[Ille-et-Vilaine]]

A '''claw vending machine''' or '''toy crane machine''' is a type of [[arcade game]] in the form of a [[vending machine]]. They are popular in [[video arcade]]s (including dedicated claw vending machine arcades), [[supermarket]]s, [[restaurant]]s, [[movie theater]]s, and other venues.

|arrondissement=Saint-Malo

|canton=[[Canton of Cancale|Cancale]]

|insee=35049 |cp=35260

|maire=Maurice Jannin

|mandat=

|intercomm=[[Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Saint-Malo]]

|longitude=01° 49' 35" W

|latitude= 48° 40' 46" N |alt moy=45 m |alt mini=0 m |alt maxi=

|hectares=1,261

|km²=13 |sans=5,203

|date-sans=1999

|dens=413

|date-dens=1999}}

[[Image:France_Oyster_Harvest_bordercropped.jpg|thumb|250px|Harvesting oysters in Cancale]]

'''Cancale''' ( ''Kankaven'' in [[breton]]) is a [[commune in France|commune]] of the [[Ille-et-Vilaine]]

==Machine structure==

''[[département in France|département]]'', in [[France]].

==Tourism==

[[Image:Toy_Crane.jpg|thumb|150px|A typical claw vending machine]]

A claw vending machine consists of prizes, usually [[plush toy]]s such as [[teddy bear]]s, inside a cage made of glass or [[plexiglas]] with a claw or crane 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 (in rare instances, a claw vending machine might offer a full minute of time). The player is able to move the claw back, forth and sideways, but not up or down.

Cancale lies along the coast to the east of [[Saint-Malo]]. It is a picturesque fishing village popular with visitors many of whom are drawn by its reputation as the '[[oyster]] capital of Brittany'. Though a small town it is well served by a large number of restaurants, many specialising in seafood. When not eating one can sit and watch the bustle of this busy little town with many stalls selling crustaceans of all types.

At the end of that time (or earlier if the player presses a [[wikt:trigger|trigger]] button on the joystick), the claw drops down and makes a gripping attempt. Some machines allow the user to move the claw after it has been partially dropped. After making the gripping attempt, the claw then moves over an opening in the corner of the cage and releases its contents. If the player is successful, then the prize the claw is holding is dropped into the opening and dispensed through a chute into a hatch for pickup.

There is a pleasant coastal path which permits a circular walk from the town to the [[Pointe du Grouin]] with views across the bay towards [[Mont Saint Michel]].

An alternative version of the machine popular in arcades is the "two button" version: one marked with a forward arrow, one with a right arrow. The crane starts near the front, left side of the machine and the user presses first the forward button to move the crane towards the back of the cabinet. Once the button is released the crane stops moving and the button cannot be used again, thus requiring the user to judge depth accurately in one attempt. After this, the right button becomes active in a similar way and as soon as it is released, the crane drops to a certain depth and then raises, closing its claw on the way and returning to the drop hatch in the front left corner. These versions are generally considered to be more difficult.

Eugène Feyen painted Cancale and the inhabitants with the oyster-picking Cancalaises for several decades around 1865-1908.

==Success rateOysters==

History has it that [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] had his oysters brought to [[Versailles]] from Cancale. Centuries later, the farming of oysters is still a major activity in the port and there are oyster beds covering about 7.3 square kilometres easily seen from the pier at the harbour. These beds harvest about 25,000 tons of oysters each year.

The success rate of the game is dependent on several factors. The most prominent of which is either player skill or depth perception. More often than not, a prize is lost due to player inexperience, or simply an error on the part of the player, however the operator of the crane has some bearing on the outcome as well. Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of American cranes, specifically those manufactured by Rainbow Crane, Inc., have no apparatus for determining odds. Those same machines do have the capacity to alter the strength a specific claw may use in attempting to win a prize, and thusly are set to attempt to attain what the particular company deems an acceptable ratio. The widely held belief that players are 'cheated,' or that the cranes exhibit no bearing on player ability are patently false.

==Controversy==

As popular as the machines are, they are commonly considered to be rigged in order to prevent easy extraction of the prize. The most frequent criticism is that the claw is too thin or weak to hold a stuffed toy. This isn't exactly true, because the claws have enough strength to pick up something very heavy if they are set to do so. However, the owner, who has to pay for the prizes and who collects your money from the machine, doesn't want you to win, because that costs him money, so he sets the grip strength very low, and increases his profit. Sometimes the toys inside the machine are too small to be picked up, or the prizes are jammed in so tightly that it is very difficult to free individual toys and loosening the packed toys will require many attempts,leading to a waste of tokens and/or quarters. Compare this to, for example, Skee Ball, in which a person rolls a ball down a ramp and jumps it into a series of holes with different point values. Based upon the skill of the player, a certain score is achieved, and tickets are paid out which can be exchanged for cheap prizes. While the return on the dollar is still extremely low (you might spend five dollars for a five cent pencil eraser)at least the player has a chance to determine if they win or lose. With the crane machines, it is the mere chance of the strength of the claw.

The British show Brainiac showed that inside some machines is a box with two knobs which control grip strength and "pay-out" odds. Every so many turns, and this number is determined by the owner, who just wants your money, and only allows anyone to win at all so that others will see it and put their money in the machine, the machine will increase the grip strength to the level needed to actually win a prize. The skill of the operator is never a factor in getting the prize. You can only win when the owner allows you to. Unless you happen to put your money in when the machine is set to pay out, it is impossible to win due to the setup of the machines. The video can be found on [[Youtube]].

==History in the United States==

These machines became popular in the [[United States]] in the late [[1980]]s, with a significant presence at [[Pizza Hut]] restaurants. Later on, they would spread to other venues. By the early [[1990s]], the [[NFL]] began to advertise their teams with stuffed footballs of each team placed in some of the machines. Soon after, the [[MLB]], [[NBA]], and [[National Hockey League|NHL]] also joined, although the NBA no longer uses these machines as a means of advertisement.

By the middle [[1990]]s, the machines' popularity had made such establishments as [[Safeway Inc.|Safeway]], [[Fry's Supermarkets]], [[K-Mart]], and [[Wal-Mart]] a staple of their locations. Some [[hotel]]s also acquired them to satisfy their younger guests, as did sports venues that would stuff them with collectibles related to their home teams.

In the [[1995]] [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]]/[[Pixar]] [[computer-generated imagery|computer-animated]] film "[[Toy Story]]", [[Buzz Lightyear]] and [[Sheriff Woody]] climb into a claw vending machine filled with [[List of Toy Story characters#Squeeze Toy Aliens|claw-worshipping aliens]].

In 2007, the claw machine became playable over the internet. Visitors to [http://www.SuperClaw.com SuperClaw] play real-life crane machines, using multiple video feeds and web browser controls to position the claw over a selection of plush prizes.

==Claw vending machines in East Asia==

<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Lobstercrane.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Japanese claw game in which live lobsters are the prizes.]] -->

[[Image:UFOCatcher1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Stuffed [[Gloomy Bear]] with "bloody" claws eating another stuffed animal in a Niigata arcade UFO catcher.]]

<!-- Alternative image: [[Image:UFOCatcher2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Strange prizes in a Niigata arcade UFO catcher.]] -->

In [[East Asia]], notably [[Japan]], [[South Korea]], and [[Taiwan]], claw vending machines are extremely popular. There are entire [[video arcade]]s dedicated to hosting these machines.

Japanese claw vending machines are sometimes called '''UFO catchers''', where "UFO" stands for [[Unidentified Flying Object]].

In East Asia, live animals are occasionally the prize in the claw game. In [[China|Chinese]] supermarkets, a live [[crab]] or [[lobster]] can be won, presumably to be eaten by the winner. In Japan, pet [[turtle]]s can be won. 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.

In South Korea, prizes are extremely varied and have included a Black & Decker power drill, women's underwear, a beard trimmer, a voucher for an inflatable raft, knee pads, fishing hooks, a radio-controlled toy helicopter, and package of US $2 bills.

==External links==

*[http://www.bklein.de/brittany/cancale.php Cancale] Information and images

*[http://www.nbc10.com/news/4513119/detail.html News story about a child crawling inside a claw vending machine]

* [http://www4.culture.fr/patrimoines/patrimoine_architectural_et_mobilier/sribzh/main.xsp?execute=show_document&id=MERIMEEIA35003564 {{fr}} Cultural Heritage]

*[http://kotaku.com/gaming/crane-game/clips-crane-game-queen-of-japan-229510.php Video clip of a Japanese expert in playing claw vending machines]

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JejiJ-RgLVc Brainiac Claw Game Video, hosted on YouTube]

* [http://bigonjapan.com/claw-machine/78.htm Photo of a Japanese claw vending machine containing live lobsters]

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