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How To Free Your Toddler From His Claw Machine Prison

Claw machines.  I hate them.  Mostly because I’ve NEVER been able to win anything with them.  Further, these dastardly constants of the arcade and lobby world are often an irresistible…

Australian kid stuck in a claw machine
Pexels/Rachel Claire

Claw machines.  I hate them.  Mostly because I've NEVER been able to win anything with them.  Further, these dastardly constants of the arcade and lobby world are often an irresistible fascination to small children.  This leads to claw machines being a frightening menace to the parents of these aforementioned children.  What is it about a claw machine that makes some kids want to crawl inside.?  Wait, let's talk about the ones that DO crawl inside.  Almost immediately, it occurs to these "uh-oh...how do I get out?!"

However, I always wonder, HOW DO THEY DO THIS?!  There's a boy in Australia who has gone viral for his claw machine extrication.  Before we show you his escape, let's try to get to the bottom of how one gets inside a claw machine.  This grainy security video is the only one I could find that shows this process.

Even after I see it, I don't believe it.  Anyway, this leads to the story of our Australian lad ensnared by the infamous claw machine.  It all went down at a mall in Brisbane.  A three-year-old boy apparently saw some stuffed prize inside that he just couldn't live without.  Yup, in he went.  This is one of those things that invariably the father says to the mom, "I only looked away for a second." <g>

The fun begins when the police arrive.  Mom and Dad are trying to keep their boy calm while attempting to do the same for themself.  Once the cops are on the scene, they appear to be really examining the claw machine's structure.  Then, with confidence, assuredness, and swiftness, the authorities instruct the parents to get the boy to a corner of the machine and close his eyes.

I'm thinking, "Wow, they've done this before.  There's got to be some cool technique for opening one of these up or something."  Then they simply smash the glass to smithereens and free the child from his claw machine prison.  The ending is classic.  A police officer teases the boy with, “You won a prize. Which one do you want?”

Esports are taking the world by storm. I'll admit it though, I just don't get the appeal of watching someone else play a video game. But I also realize I'm in the minority on that these days. In recent years esport games have been steadily gaining fans across the world. And just in the past twelve months, the search volume for ‘big esport games’ has increased by +210% in the US alone! But if you are new to that world where do you being? First would be discovering the most beloved esport games that US gamers simply can’t get enough of. And to do that, CasinosCrypto.com has used social listening data to figure out what the most popular video games are. With this data, they created a ranking of the top 20 most loved competitive e-sport games in the US as well as the top 10 games for each state. So what are the most popular video games in North Carolina?

The winner came in with over 3x the amount of searches as the second place game. The top 3, were League of Legends, Fortnite, and Valorant, though the difference between 2 and 3 was even more drastic than 1 and 2. There are clearly two games that are by far the most popular!

The top 10 most popular video games in North Carolina are as follows:

10. Overwatch 2

Total Searches: 5,200

Overwatch 2 is a free-to-play, team-based action game set in the optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Play as a time-jumping freedom fighter, a beat-dropping battlefield DJ, or one of over 30 other unique heroes as you battle it out around the globe.

9. FIFA 22

Total Searches: 5,400

Fifa 22 is a soccer simulation-style game published by Electronic Arts. It's available for Microsoft WindowsNintendo SwitchPlayStation 4PlayStation 5Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

8. Rocket League

Total Searches: 6,600

Rocket League is a vehicular soccer video game. Welcome to the high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem! Customize your car, hit the field, and compete in one of the most critically acclaimed sports games of all time!

7. Overwatch

Total Searches: 8,100

Overwatch is a highly stylized team-based shooter set on earth in the near future. Every match is an intense multiplayer showdown pitting a diverse cast of soldiers, mercenaries, scientists, adventurers, and oddities against each other in an epic, globe-spanning conflict.

6. Apex Legends

Total Searches: 14,800

Apex Legends is a free-to-play hero shooter game where legendary competitors battle for glory, fame, and fortune on the fringes of the Frontier.

5. Call of Duty: Vanguard

Total Searches: 18,000

The award-winning Call of Duty® series returns with Call of Duty®: Vanguard, in which players will experience influential battles of World War II as they fight for victory across the Eastern and Western Fronts of Europe, the Pacific, and North Africa.

4. Halo Infinite

Total Searches: 18,000

Halo Infinite is a first-person shooter game on XBox. It is the sixth mainline entry in the Halo series, and the third in the "Reclaimer Saga" series.

3. League of Legends

Total searches: 18,100

League of Legends is a team-based strategy game where two teams of five powerful champions face off to destroy the other’s base. Choose from over 140 champions to make epic plays, secure kills, and take down towers as you battle your way to victory.

2. Valorant

Total Searches: 222,000

Riot Games presents VALORANT: a 5v5 character-based tactical FPS where precise gunplay meets unique agent abilities.

1. Fortnite

Total Searches: 740,000

Fortnite is a free-to-play Battle Royale game with numerous game modes for every type of game player. Watch a concert, build an island or fight!

Top 20 Competitive Esports Games in The US

    Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.