(that is not me in the photo, but that is my bluetooth headset I won)
I won! I won!
Here’s how it happened.
Pre-game
I’m sitting at work in the Tribune Tower. Outside my window at 11am, I could hear a microphone with a guy talking, “Ok let’s start!” Verizon set up a claw machine in Pioneer Court outside the Tribune Tower. They are giving away phones!
A few hours pass, I go to lunch and walk by the setup and snapped this photo. I didn’t bother getting in line at the time.
I’m coming back to work from lunch with a meatball sandwich in one hand, and the Muppet Show comic book in the other. The line looked quite short and the game goes by pretty fast, so I figured what the heck. I’ll play just for the experience of it.
Each person gets two tries to aim the claw to pick up a round ball. This looks very easy as the round ball fits perfectly within the claw’s grips. It’s not like the tricky methods that all other claw games use. The heavy toy. The awkwardly sized toy. The toys jammed all together, so you can’t pick it up.
No.
These are just loose, light simple round plastic balls. In fact, they look like Pokemon balls. That made me giggle. Especially since when you successfully drop a ball into the bucket, the mohawk-wearing Verizon MC takes the ball out and hands it to a woman on the side. She then cracks open the Pokemon ball to pull out a piece of paper that tells you what you win. Super simple. Especially since I’m a
claw game MASTER. (It's true, I've blogged about the
claw game several times)
Standing in line
When I get in line, I look up at the Wrigley Building’s clock saying 2:00pm. I try to study what the best method is for securing a ball. But the goofy security guards standing there kinda blocked the view. The line moved really fast. I saw one of my coworkers in line and he was playing with his iPhone. I told him, “dude, you can’t be playing with that in line. This is verizon, man!”
While in line I was thinking about having the mohawk dude with the microphone yell out, “SHOUT-OUT TO 14TH FLOOR TRIBUNE TOWER!” When that short 15 minute wait was up, I was so excited to play the game, I dropped my meatball sandwich and Muppets comic book on the ground by the game and grabbed the joystick.
Playing the game
Ok, strategy time. Which ball? Following standard claw game strategy, you go for one on the top and close to the bucket. I eyed a nice ball over the wall, as the claw moved, it had a laser pointer. I yelled out “A LASER POINTER, NO WAY! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!” Seriously. I do these things.
As I move the claw to the wall, and think, “WHAT AM I DOING? THIS IS THE WALL? YOU DON’T PICK UP A BALL BY THE GLASS.” Thankfully the claw was multi-directional. That is you don’t get just two movements and that’s it. You can move it around as much as you want. I slide the claw over to another ball closer to the bucket and press the red button. The claw drops.
The claw squeezes.
The claw doesn’t pick up a ball. NO! What?!
I couldn’t believe it.
Thankfully each contestant gets two tries. I become more determined. A steely glaze comes across my eyes. I dance in front of the machine looking for the perfect ball. I hop over to the side of the machine in search of the perfect ball. I found it. Right by the bucket.
I say, “I’m getting that ball right there. Oh yeah.”
The laser gets aimed right on top of the ball. Dead center. This is a winner. I drop the claw. A nervous chill covers my entire body as the claw is slightly off center. I exclaim, “ut oh. It’s a little off center.”
The claw GRABS the ball. YES! YES! YES! But now the deadly carry-over. The claw carries the ball over. The machine is shaking. My heart is pounding. DON’T DROP THE BALL!
The claw finishes its trip over to the bucket and releases the ball. I WON! I WON! I turn to the crowd and yell, I win! I win! I think people are thinking I’m crazy, cuz nobody else was doing that.
As I bend down to pick up my meatball sandwich and Muppets comic book, the machine starts spitting out fog smoke, RIGHT WHERE MY SANDWICH IS SITTING. Literally. It was really crazy. It was like the machine was trying to cook my sandwich.
I walk over to the girl on the side to find out what I won. I was just happy enough to have gotten the ball. I didn’t really care what was inside the ball. She opens up the ball and says, “it’s a bluetooth.” That’s cool! I yell out BLUETOOOOOOOOTH!
Post-game analysis
Oh man that was fun. They handed me my bluetooth, which funny enough, doesn’t work with my iPhone. But I’m happy, cuz I’m sure someone will be able to use it. Yeah, I could sell it on eBay, but meh. It came to me free, so I’ll be happy to give it to someone.
So now when I hear the mohawk guy outside my window, yell out, “We have a new winner! Another phone,” I’m very happy. A couple times I have yelled out at work, “A new phone winner!” Now I’m trying to convince my coworkers to play the game. It’s so much fun, everyone should play!
