How we made our first game

Claw Machine

Here is where the idea came from, how the game works, and what we changed after we played it.

Play Claw Machine

01 · Where the idea came from

Every game started with something Sabina liked.

Sabina has always loved claw machines. She often wins a plushy in only a few tries. Each machine feels a little magical.

Then we found one that cost $3 for each try. We tried several times and won nothing. She wanted to keep going. I wanted her to think before spending more money, so I said we should stop. She went home sad.

At home, I asked an AI coding tool to make a simple claw machine game. The first version was rough. But now we had something we could play, question, and change together.

02 · Our first plan

We wrote down what the game needed.

Our first plan was short. It listed the characters, actions, rules, and goal. That gave the coding helper enough information to make a first version.

  • A pastel 3D cabinet filled with 15–20 chubby plush toys.

  • Big on-screen arrows and a DROP button, with keyboard controls too.

  • A full grab: move, lower, close, lift, return, and drop the toy in the prize hole.

  • Toys that tumble, jiggle, and sometimes slip away.

  • A prize shelf, carnival sounds, a mute button, and a refill button.

03 · Parts of the game

Each part has a job.

Engineers often call these parts systems. When we name each system, it is easier to understand what it does and fix it when something goes wrong.

01

Controls

What can the player do?

The arrows move the claw. One button starts the drop.

02

Steps

What happens after DROP?

The claw lowers, closes, lifts, returns, and opens. The steps always happen in that order.

03

The grab

What counts as a grab?

The claw must be close enough to a toy. It must also close around the toy before lifting.

04

Game feel

Why is winning exciting?

Toys can slip. Sounds tell you what happened. Every prize joins your collection.

04 · What we changed

We played the game and made it better.

  1. 1

    Make it playable

    The first build had the machine, toy pile, controls, sounds, and a 3D world.

  2. 2

    Fix what looked wrong

    We fixed the movement, turning, claw size, upside-down parts, and bent fingers.

  3. 3

    Build a real grab

    The claw learned to find a nearby toy, close around it, carry it, and sometimes let it slip.

  4. 4

    Make it fun

    Grabbing got too easy. We made the claw need better aim and added a few close misses. Now a win felt special again.

05 · What we learned

Thinking like an engineer

Sometimes a game looks right but is not fun to play. When that happened, we tested one rule at a time. We changed the rule, played again, and checked whether the game felt more clear and fair.

Talk about it together

Questions you can ask while you play

  • What small steps happen after you press DROP?
  • What could make a grab easier or harder?
  • How can the game explain a miss and help you try again?