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Claw machines are everywhere in Taiwan.
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From busy streets to corner stores like this one.
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I used to play these all the time as a teenager.
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And while I eventually grew out of it, Taiwan ... well ... hasn't.
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In 2016, there were only about 920 claw machine stores in Taiwan.
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Today, there are over 6,678 of them across the island.
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And you can usually find them clustered together in night market corners like this one.
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Over the years, they've become a popular investment strategy for young people, particularly because of low stagnating wages on the island.
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(Speaking Mandarin) Why work with claw machines?
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(Speaking Mandarin) The main hope is that I can make a little more money on top of my day job.
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(Speaking Mandarin) Because many friends have told me that they can make money, then I wanted to try.
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Here's how it works:
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An arcade owner sets up all the infrastructure and buys the machines and security cameras for a grand total of around 30,000 USD.
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The owner will then rent out each individual claw machine at around 150 USD to 250 USD a month to interested individuals.
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Pisuy has been obsessively playing claw machines for a year now and recently just got her own.
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(Speaking Mandarin) The rent for the claw machine is not a problem for me.
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(Speaking Mandarin) I'll make a little bit of money, about 5000 or 3000 (NTD).
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(Speaking Mandarin) When I'm playing the claw machine, I'll set a goal for myself.
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(Speaking Mandarin) For example, that sock, my spending limit is 50 NTD.
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(Speaking Mandarin) If I have to spend over that, I'll stop playing.
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(Speaking Mandarin) 50 NTD, two pairs!
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But experts say that the claw machine craze is a bubble waiting to burst.
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(Speaking Mandarin) Taiwan has a lot of claw machines because the media keeps on reporting that it's a moneymaker.
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(Speaking Mandarin) That's why everyone is getting into it.
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(Speaking Mandarin) But these stores are popping up so quickly, so not every machine is making money.
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And the market seems to have reached overcapacity.
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But for Pisuy, it's more than just an investment strategy.
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(Speaking Mandarin) My day job is pretty tiring.
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(Speaking Mandarin) Whenever I win something from a claw machine, it brings me a bit of happiness.
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(Speaking Mandarin) So I believe they are useful this way.
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So cute!