The presence of a claw machine carrying durian is probably the best indicator of how popular these games are.
There are shops in Singapore with devices carrying toys, collectables, and snacks. And now, even the King of Fruits has been gamified in these claw machines.
In fact, there are durian claw machine enthusiasts who can grab up to five durians in 15 minutes.
According to Shin Min Daily News, a pasar malam in Toa Payoh has three claw machines filled with over 10 durians each.
This is thanks to the suggestion of one Mr Ning (transliterated from Mandarin). He is a 45-year-old self-proclaimed claw machine enthusiast.
He first came across Taiwan’s durian claw machines through videos online.
Thinking they were interesting, Mr Ning suggested that arcade operator PlayUnited bring them in.
When Mr Ning learnt that the machines had arrived in Singapore, he spared no time to test them out.
Even though the devices are in Toa Payoh, Mr Ning travelled all the way from his Woodlands home just to get his hands on them.
Source: Shin Min Daily News via Lianhe Zaobao
He told Shin Min that he would spend up to three hours at the machines. Sometimes, he would even bring his family to the pasar malam to play together.
“I’ve enjoyed playing claw machines since I was eight. You can say it’s a hobby of mine. Since they set up the durian claw machines here, I’ve been coming every day.”
Per Mr Ning, the devices containing the king of fruits are of similar difficulty as other claw machines. The game’s difficulty does not change much, even if they are of different masses.
The key lies in how one “swings the claws”, he said, referring to a technique when you slowly inch the item to the opening.
When a reporter from Shin Min visited Mr Ning at the pasar malam on Friday (9 June), they witnessed him catching five durians in a short 15 minutes.
When asked, he humbly explained that the machines there are more user-friendly.
The claws are strong and sturdy enough, so it is not too loose to grip the items.
Shin Min also observed that three separate durian claw machines were carrying D13, D101 and other varieties of the fruit.
There was also a notice saying that the durians cannot be exchanged once caught.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The manager of the claw machines, Mr Luo Tianxiang (transliterated from Mandarin), said they had attracted many customers since they set up the durian claw machines there on 2 June.
However, their last day of operations in Toa Payoh was Sunday (11 June). Subsequently, they will be setting up shop in Tampines.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News via Lianhe Zaobao.
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