The Concept of Addiction: Claw Machine

As we walked past the claw machine in Avenue K, all our eyes 👀 lit up.

A calling.

We added RM10 💵 to the machine to get the tokens and were greeted to the beautiful jingle of coins dropping into the slot.

We finished RM10 💵 in less than 3 minutes (5 of us, 5 different machines). Then in went another RM10 for change and then another.

RM30 in 10 mins and 1 small Doraemon stuffed toy later, we walked away part in triumph 🏆, part in defeat 😔 of missing another unique golden stuffed toy.

Is this what addiction feels like? 🎰

I researched a little into this silly claw machine and was shocked to learn that a Taiwanese guy got so addicted to these machines that he lost all his money, took out loans, lost his job and pretty much his life. For stuffed toys???

Well, not really, isn’t it? 😏

It’s the promise of ‘winning’. That temporary elation and euphoria of winning something. 🥇

That moment when it seems like the stuffed bear is within grasp and just as we think this is it... we are gonna win it, that useless claw releases its grip and drops the toy centimetres away from the winning box.... Goddamit! 🤬

How much are we willing to spend on that feeling of instant gratification?

That’s our world today. 🌎

So many of us are willing to do almost anything for instant results. The magic tea for quick weight loss, the photo filter for instant beauty (guilty!), the kick we get out of gossiping, validation we get on social media or from food, TV 📺, relationships , people… wow! 🙀

❓What is it that we are really addicted to?

❓Why is it so hard for some people to be grateful and happy with what they have?

❓What is it that we are missing out that we search for gratification and validation in the silliest of places?

❓Why is it sometimes we feel immense pressure do be someone we are not? Or do things we don’t love?

I would need to write a thesis to answer these questions but having worked with people for over a decade, I know one thing for sure.

Societal pressure. 👹

It’s a killer 🔪 . A whirlpool that sucks you in with it’s expectations.

If we ever fall short of keeping up with someone else’s expectations, we are judged.

Deemed imperfect. Oh, how so hard is it to be perfect in an imperfect world. 💔

❌ Screw the society ❌

💝 Life is so short. 💃 Be comfortable in your own skin. 🔎 Know who you are. 📒 Know your purpose.

Everything else… maybe not so important.