Campaign: Play the game you’ll never win
Campaign: Installation; “PAIN” by Uncommon for New York Fashion Week
Objective: Titled “PAIN,” the project by creative studio Uncommon is a statement on the difficulty of life and the feeling of unattainable success in New York City.
ONE SHOP IN SOHO.
ONE SICKENINGLY WEAK CLAW MACHINE.
ONE PRICELESS HANDBAG YOU HAVE ZERO CHANCE OF WINNING.
COME SUFFER.
Why it works: The Near-Miss Effect via Google
The brain perceives a "near miss" as an almost-win, which is more motivating than a clear loss.
When a player gets close to winning (e.g., two of three symbols align on a slot machine), the brain's reward centers release a surge of dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter.
Because this dopamine response is similar to that of a genuine win, the brain is tricked into thinking success is just around the corner.
This creates a powerful psychological incentive to continue playing, as the player feels encouraged and perceives that their next try will succeed.
We often desire what we can’t have, and anyone who loves luxury craves a Hermès Birkin bag. IYKYK. The luxury brand is known for keeping its stock tightly locked up.
The infamous claw machine, notorious for the endless pursuit of your desire, yet the ever-elusive win is always just out of reach. Annoying carnival games that depress the young and old yet we can’t stop, it tickles our reptilian brain to 'keep going, it’s right there, just a little more to the left/right, you’ve almost got it’ - such is the Hermes brand, you love it, but you’ll never have it.
It works because at the end of the day, we want it and they won’t let us have it and still we love the game even if we never win.
Hermes Birkin Claw Machine
