The Claw

I have a tendency to go a little overboard with silly things. I managed to spend 50 bucks to try win something that must have cost only a maximum of 10 bucks to produce. Yes, that’s right I went to a games center this afternoon and to pay for my sins I got addicted to the claw game.

You’ve all seen the claw game before, it’s that machine that you find at game centers and carnivals, with the claw and merchandise inside. One maneuvers the claw using a joystick and positions it over a selected item; pushes a button and watches as the claw swoops down in attempt to pull out a teddy bear or something equally useless.

My friend convinced me to give it a whirl, being incredibly astute at computer and video games I figured it wouldn’t be all that difficult. After only a few tries I realized that it was going to be a challenge, but I felt determined to beat the game and win something at least. It wasn’t about actually liking any of the items in the machine anymore - it was about my ego - it was about winning.

After some failed attempts and much frustration, the claw finally hooked onto something… Great success! I now have a pink teddy, which I didn’t really want in the first place, sitting on my bed, leering at me, reminding me of my claw addiction…