The hope that you might be able to actually grab on to something in the claw machine game is what entices you to play it. After all, it shouldn't be that hard, right? You just have to find the right angle, right? Nope. Everything is working against you, in fact.

The folks over at Vox explain that it is the machine that sucks. And it was designed to make you fail.


History writer Phil Edwards found a sad discovery, while looking at the instruction manuals of the claw games. The machine will only grab things when it's profitable.


The machine will give the claw full power once every 21 attempts. It actually calculates if it's financially responsible to let you win.


In other words, there's no power in the claw. You will only look like you're going to win. Watch the video below: