If there is one thing you will notice right away strolling around the streets in Korea these days are the colourful games centers on every corner.
However half a year ago you would have hardly found any.
This is a new trend and it came fast and with unbelieveable intensity.
Korea is well known for its fast market. Trends go and come in quick waves. And the lifespan of a trend is much shorter than we are used to in Europe. A trend will last for half a year and will then slowly decrease and vanish.
It is very easy to see and tell, because it`s the same process every time.
A new thing will come up by one company. For the first two month it will sell the product exclusivly. However you can just count the days for the first copycats to come. And they will neither hide or do their business secretly. Nor will they make an effort to change the brand image and product slightly. Oftentimes they will just open on the next corner and you can hardly tell the difference.
At the moment these games centers are opening everywhere and soon the people will be fed up and loose interest. But what is the fascination about these stuffed animal maschienes?
Most of the stuffed animals are famous characters and most of them you could just buy in a store. However, one game costs only a few cent, so many, mostly, young people, try their luck. I can`t deny that this can be quite addicting, because you just want to continue one more time until you get the thing you want. Recently there was a tv report, which showed some professional game center players. People, who do this so often and so good, that they get even banned from some game centers. Also they showed that these maschienes are progammed in a way that the grabbler is so shacky that you can hardly hold the animal and get it to the opening. Only every eight time there might be a good chance to win.
So this game is not only about the right technique, but also about luck.
Let`s see what comes next.
