Unlike the boring departure halls in most airport terminals, the ones at Changi Airport were world renowned and this explained my absolute determination to check in earlier whenever i need to take a flight.
New things do appear at times and in my most recent trip to Bangkok, i chanced upon this game booth called UFO Catcher; also known as "the claw" machine.
All you need is your boarding pass to play a free game! No minimum purchase is required and catching the space rocks (not UFOs) wasn't as difficult as those machines in the commercial arcades!
The top prizes were attractive in my opinion and since this was essentially free, no harm in giving it a try and aiming for the one prize that caught my attention.
Redeem the token from the registration booth first and you are off to go!
There were a few machines on site and the only difference was the colour of the balls (otherwise known as space rocks) in the machines; they were either red or blue. Being Chinese, i obviously go for the lucky colour; red.
As with any claw machines, you have to strategise the position of the claw using the joystick before you slam the "start" button! Be patient and it would be easier to catch one!
I believe there were prizes in every capsule; mine was a consolation voucher at S$10 off with every S$200 purchase at the Shilla duty free outlets.
Note: the capsule can be recycled; just throw them into the above container.
Introducing the game to all twenty one travel mates was a definite and before long, a queue had formed. There were a few who didn't manage to get anything but for those who did, none of them got the top prizes. Nevertheless, it was the fun we had that was memorable and our loud peals of laughter that resonated down the departure hall.