Games

NASA Engineer’s Machine Proves Arcade Games Are a Scam

by Michael Walsh
Jan 5 2018 • 8:43 AM

Anyone who has ever entered an arcade gameOpens in a new tab trying to win prize tickets knows the frustration of juuuust missing out on the jackpot bonus. A split second earlier or later and those five tickets could have been 500. Trust us, your aggravation  is about to multiply by just as much: an engineer has proved these so-called games of skill are, in fact, rigged.Mark RoberOpens in a new tab, the former NASA engineer-turned-YouTube star who has built the world’s largest functional Nerf GunOpens in a new tab and an automatic bullseye dartboardOpens in a new tab, previously proved how science can help you beat carnival game scamsOpens in a new tab. But this time around he set out to beat (some might say cheat) an arcade game using a highly accurate machine he built that should have made him a shoo-in to hit the jackpot bonus on a light game.

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But what Rober found was that he only managed to win the big prize roughly once every 30 attempts, despite his machine being incredibly precise.I can’t be the only one who feels totally vindicated by this, right? That stupid game has always seemed fixed for the exact reason he discovered. You can hit the button at the “same time” and sometimes it lands early and sometimes it lands late.So yeah, this is infuriating, but at least now you know better: don’t play this game… unless you just saw someone else lose like 25 straight times. Are you surprised by these results? Will it stop you from playing arcade games ever again? Vent to us in the comments below.

Featured Image: Mark Rober