Hong Kong's rise of the claw machines reflects property fall

HONG KONG -- In June, 20-year-old Tara Wan and her boyfriend rented a shop in one of Hong Kong's premier retail districts, Causeway Bay. The space costs them just 6,000 Hong Kong dollars ($768) a month, and rather than peddling merchandise, they have installed arcade games known as claw machines.

Wan's business plan for the next few years is to open more shops with the games also called "UFO catchers" in Japan -- glass cases filled with dolls or other prizes that players attempt to extract by moving an impossibly flimsy claw. She does not see it as a long-term business, but rather a way to quickly capitalize on Hong Kong's rental downturn.