Killing time before the holidays? Why not play a livestreaming, remote-controlled crane game for charity?
Liberty Games, a U.K.-based seller of arcade cabinets and other games you may have played at Chuck E. Cheese, has set up a livestreaming crane game, dubbed Santa Claws. Powered by a Raspberry Pi and a webcam, the game works like this: Depending on which stuffed animal you grab, Liberty Games will donate a certain amount of money to St. Mungo’s, a charity that helps the homeless.
In the spirit of the season, Liberty Games has made the crane significantly easier than the ones you may remember losing quarters to from your youth; I watched about 25 people go before I got a turn, and saw many, many winners. (I ended up snagging a stuffed bear, which means £5 will be donated to St. Mungo’s, and I will likely be canonized as a saint myself once I pass away.)
The game works best with Firefox, though you can get it running with Chrome if you change some settings. You’ll likely be in a somewhat long queue to play, so feel free to put the tab in the background and go about your business — you’ll hear a sound when it’s your turn to control the crane. The game is only active through December 22, so head on over to give it a whirl.
