Lobster Arcade Game

Is that Vanna?

This is a long overdue update to my post on the Japanese lobster vending machine, known as Marine Catcher.

Similar machines are now being built and marketed in the U.S., under the name "The Love Maine Lobster Claw." The game is exactly like one of those arcade machines where you steer a three-pronged claw with a joystick in an attempt to snag a stuffed animal. Except this one involves a tank full of water and live lobsters.

Of course, animal-rights activists are incensed. An AP report brought the appearance of the American machines to my attention in February.

Put me down!

There are several versions of the machine vying for the apparently lucrative live-lobster arcade trade. Visit the website of Marine Ecological Habitats to watch a news clip about the game. You will see Mainers at a convenience store frantically twisting the joystick in their passionate attempts to catch a lobster. Ever considered the supermarket? [Oh, wait, that's not an option anymore -- lobsters have been banned from supermarkets.]

Two bucks buys you 30 seconds. They say it's addictive. And very difficult.

The machine costs around 15 grand, but Marine Ecological Habitats estimates that proud owners the new game can expect to clear an annual profit in the neighborhood of $18,780.