Although pushers and cranes have remained largely the same over the years, manufacturers continue to bring significant enhancements to the market without compromising the core principles that continue to make them so popular with players of all ages, writes Simon Liddle.
FEW categories of machines are as synonymous with pay-to-play amusements than pushers and cranes, nor are there any that are more intuitive to play. Remarkably, these machines, which have largely remained unchanged at least in principle, have achieved a longevity that others simply have not. They continue to find popularity among each new generation of players and are often, in fact, a type of gateway through which many pass before trying other types of machines.
What is their secret? According to Joe Coppola of US-based manufacturer ICE, it is the “thrill and suspense of having complete control over the movement of the claw as it hovers over the prize that you want to win, and then watching as it grabs the prize and gravity kicks in.”
All generations, he said, get a kick out of this and, as long as the crane has good prizes, players will keep coming back. “Pushers and cranes,” said Chris Clifton of Harry Levy Amusements, “give a lot more in terms of an experience than simply gameplay. Coin pushers and cranes represent childhood; they represent family outings, the beach, trying to get that big stack of coins/prize to fall down the coin shoot.”
Harry Levy’s range includes the Surf Side and Celebration pushers, as well as its new World of Toys crane range. He continued: “I feel the whole sentiment of playing a coin pusher or crane, no matter your age, can’t be matched by more modernised machines and that’s why I feel they are still enduringly popular.”
Pushers and cranes are central to a theme InterGame has touched on many times before, that of immediately recognisable, family-friendly entertainment.
“It’s that good old-fashioned, simple family fun; you know what to do, you know how it works,” said Justin Burke of Sega. “It’s the old fairground mentality of trying to win a prize. Each year there is a new brand or toy that makes you want to play.” Gary Balaban of Coast to Coast Entertainment agreed, suggesting that the combination of a skill-based gameplay and the prospect of potentially winning a prize is compelling.
“I think we all like to win, no matter if it is a nice plush toy or to have coins fall over the edge and we get to keep them,” he said “That is the draw that keeps players coming back year after year.”
Read the full article in the November issue of InterGame
