Editing Claw machine (section)

===In Asia===
[[File:Claw cranes with kawaii stuffed mascots and a woman playing, Akihabara, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.jpg|thumb|left|A row of UFO catchers in [[Akihabara]], [[Tokyo]]]]

Japanese companies [[Sega]] and [[Taito]] began designing trolley-style claw machines in the 1960s.<ref name="mf" /> They gained popularity in Japan during the late 1970s, with crane games ranking among Japan's top ten highest-grossing [[Electro-mechanical game|electro-mechanical]] (EM) [[1977 in video games|arcade games of 1977]] and [[1978 in video games|1978]].<ref name="GM90">{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:結果ベスト3|trans-title=Best 3 Results |magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=90|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=15 February 1978|pages=2–3|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19780215p.pdf#page=2}}</ref><ref name="GM113">{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:人気マシン・ベスト3|trans-title=Popular Machines: Best 3 |magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=113|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=February 1979|pages=2–3|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19790201p.pdf#page=2}}</ref> Sega released their ''UFO Catcher'' claw machine in 1985 and made their first shipment of it in 1986.<ref>{{cite web |title=UFO Catcher |url=https://sega.jp/history/arcade/product/9370/ |website=[[Sega]] |access-date=18 May 2021 |language=ja}}</ref> It had sold 10,000 cabinets by 1991, its popularity inspiring Sega's creation of the ''Dream Catcher'' in 1989 and the ''New UFO Catcher'' in 1991 while making the ''UFO Catcher'' series responsible for 90 percent of stuffed toy claw machine sales.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Sega's 'Hologram' Game ls Coming To Japan|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|first=Masumi|last=Akagi|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|issue=|date=1 September 1991|page=26|url=https://archive.org/details/game-machine-magazine-19910901p/page/n13/mode/1up}}</ref> By 1994, its claw could be changed to fit the sizes and shapes of different prizes, and it had become a craze across Japan: arcades started dedicating entire floors to ''UFO Catcher'' cabinets—of which Sega had sold over 40,000, making it Sega's best-selling game at the time—and the term "UFO catcher" became synonymous with crane games in Japan.<ref>{{cite book |title=Sega '94 Amusement Machine Guide |date=1994 |publisher=Sega |page=12 |url=https://archive.org/details/sega-94-amusement-machine-guide/page/n12/mode/1up}}</ref><ref name="vgce">{{Cite magazine|title=Win Big With UFO Catcher|magazine=[[VideoGames & Computer Entertainment|VideoGames]]|last=Nakamura|first=Eric|publisher=[[Larry Flynt Publications|LFP, Inc.]]|issue=66|date=July 1994|page=92|issn=1059-2938|url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_The_Ultimate_Gaming_Magazine_Issue_66_July_1994/page/n91/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|title=OutRun|magazine=[[Mean Machines Sega]]|last=Swan|first=Gus|publisher=EMAP|issue=22|date=August 1994|pages=92–3|issn=0967-9014|url=https://archive.org/details/mean-machines-sega-magazine-22/page/n91/mode/2up}}</ref>

Sega Shinjuku Kabukicho, a two-story Sega arcade in [[Shinjuku]], [[Tokyo]] containing 477 claw machines, received the [[Guinness World Record]] for having the most claw machines in a single venue in 2021, a record previously held by the Taito Station in [[Fuchū, Tokyo]] for having 454 machines.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hooper |first1=Ben |title=Japanese arcade gets Guinness record for most claw crane machines - UPI.com |url=https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/01/21/Japanese-arcade-gets-Guinness-record-for-most-claw-crane-machines/4341611252065/ |website=[[United Press International]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=21 January 2021}}</ref> {{As of|2023}}, Yuka Nakajima of Japan holds the Guinness World Record for being the most successful claw machine player due to winning more than 3,500 [[Rilakkuma]] [[teddy bear]]s from claw machines.<ref>{{cite web |title=Most successful claw game player |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-successful-claw-game-player |via=[[Guinness World Records]] |access-date=6 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ashcraft |first1=Brian |last2=Snow |first2=Jean |title=Arcade Mania!: The Turbo-Charged World of Japan's Game Centers |chapter=Chapter 1: Crane Games |chapter-url=https://metropolisjapan.com/game-on-2/ |date=2008 |publisher=[[Kodansha|Kodansha International]] |location=Tokyo |isbn=978-4770030788 |edition=1st}}</ref> In 2021, claw machines accounted for more than half of the revenue at Japanese arcades, according to the [[Japan Amusement Machine and Marketing Association|Japan Amusement Industry Association]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Virus threatens 'game over' for Japan's arcades |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210210-virus-threatens-game-over-for-japan-s-arcades |website=[[France 24]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=10 February 2021}}</ref> Japanese claw machines can also contain cakes as prizes.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Feit |first1=Daniel |title=Japan's New 'UFO Catcher' Prize: Fresh-Baked Cakes |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/11/sweets-crane/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=11 November 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McNaught |first1=Shannon |title=Japanese crane game serves up actual slices of cake |url=https://japantoday.com/category/features/food/japanese-crane-game-serves-up-actual-slices-of-cake |website=[[Japan Today]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=13 December 2019}}</ref>

The number of claw machine arcades and the popularity of claw machines both experienced a sharp increase in South Korea in 2016 and 2017, specifically in [[Seoul]] neighborhoods with universities like [[Hongdae (area)|Hongdae]] and [[Sinchon]]. From 2015 to 2017, the number of South Korean claw arcades increased from 20 to 1,900, while mentions of claw machines on Korean social networks also increased during that time. ''[[Korea JoongAng Daily]]'' and ''[[The Korea Herald]]'' attributed the increased interest to South Korea's harsh economy at the time leading to a desire for cheap entertainment, while ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' associated it with the country's increasing youth unemployment.<ref name="korherald">{{cite web |title=Slowing economy lures young Koreans to claw machines |url=https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170203000121 |website=[[The Korea Herald]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=3 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="usnwr" /><ref name="kjd" />

[[File:A Claw Crane Shop on Shuitian St. in Hsinchu City.jpg|thumb|A claw machine arcade in [[Hsinchu]], [[Taiwan]]]]

In Taiwan, where claw machine arcades are usually open all day and owners sublet their machines to different operators, claw machines became especially popular as inexpensive entertainment starting in 2017, due to their costing [[New Taiwan dollar|NT$]]10 to use. The number of claw machine arcades in Taiwan increased from 920 in 2016 to 3,353 in 2018 and, {{As of|lc=y|2019}}, there are more than 10,000.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yang |first1=Sophia |last2=Everington |first2=Keoni |title=Taiwan claw crane craze |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3631880 |website=[[Taiwan News]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=4 February 2019}}</ref> A 2018 survey of children aged seven to 18 reported 32.7 percent of them using claw machines one to three days a week and over four percent using them every day.<ref name="tptimes">{{cite web |last1=Maxon |first1=Ann |title=Survey shows claw machine issues |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2018/06/27/2003695631 |website=[[Taipei Times]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=27 June 2018}}</ref> The [[Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan)|Central Bank of the Republic of China]] increased their budget in 2019 to produce more NT$10 coins to accommodate the increasing popularity of claw machines in Taiwan. By 2018, the average monthly revenue for operating a claw machine was around NT$5,000.<ref name="scmp">{{cite web |last1=Chang |first1=Sean |title=Time for a lucky dip: claw crane game craze takes off in Taiwan |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2177851/taiwans-claw-crane-game-craze-leaves-players-and-shop |website=[[South China Morning Post]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=14 December 2018}}</ref> 

The largest claw machine arcade in China, LJJ Station in [[Beijing]], has more than 60 machines with stuffed toy versions of characters from [[WeChat]] animations.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Li |first1=Lea |title=The Claw! China's 'biggest' crane game centre |url=https://www.scmp.com/video/scmp-originals/3019087/chinas-biggest-crane-game-centre-gets-customers-digging-out-plush |website=[[South China Morning Post]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=18 July 2019}}</ref> Before 2020, claw machines were popular in Thai shopping malls; a 2020 survey conducted by the advocacy group No Gambling Youth Club stated that 75 of the 92 shopping malls surveyed contained 1,300 claw machines collectively.<ref name="khaosod" /><ref name="bkokpost" />