First Look: Win big at Baton Rouge’s newest claw arcade

The new Gotcha Claw Machine Arcade on Siegen Lane is filled with plushies, games, toys and mystery boxes waiting to be won. Founded last year in Lafayette by X Chen, who also co-owns the authentic Asian restaurant Dumpling and Bao, Gotcha was inspired by Chen’s desire to share Asian culture in Louisiana.

Claw machine arcades are not a new concept in Japan, Chen says. When he was visiting family in Tokyo, he says he saw an entire street lined with these games. But for Louisiana, the concept is quite new.

Although you’ll see neon lights, tokens and rows and rows of game machines, Gotcha differs from a traditional arcade in a few key ways.

“I go out of the country often to see what is different in other countries that I can bring over here,” Chen says. “Regular arcades—they’re good. They have a ton of different machines, video games and everything. You do have a lot of fun, but you cannot bring anything home.“

At Gotcha, it’s easy to leave as a winner. With dozens of claw machine games at varying difficulty levels, there are plenty of chances to snag a prize. Tokens purchased at the front desk are used for play, and custom clear backpacks are provided to hold winnings.

Most items that fill the machines are games, collectibles, mystery boxes and stuffed toys that come from China and Japan. There are also some larger winnable items like a PS5 and Nintendo Switch. According to Chen, there will be many opportunities to win these most valuable items. He expects there to be a new grand prize winner every two weeks.

Exclusive to the Baton Rouge location is a game room in the back of the arcade, just to the right of the giant Toy Story Lotso bear figure. The room’s flooring consists of light-up, motion-detecting tiles. A screen displays a timer and instructions, and players must run around the space, stepping on the highlighted tiles to reach a high score.

“I found this game in a shopping mall in China,” Chen says. “A lot of kids just play their video games or iPads or iPhones. It is not good for them. But you can play this game, have fun, and you can get healthy.” 

With the first arcade in Lafayette seeing nearly 1,000 customers daily, Chen set his sights on Baton Rouge. People of all ages have been enjoying Gotcha—a welcome, if unexpected, result. A light-up sign near the Baton Rouge entrance sums it up: “Fun has no age limit.”

“At the beginning, I thought this was just for little kids,” Chen says. “But after we opened a few locations, I saw some older people. I talked to some of them. They tell me they didn’t have this kind of stuff when they were younger.” 

Chen expects this arcade to be just as busy as its Lafayette counterpart. He also intends to expand further, with plans for a spot in Lake Charles already shaping up. 

Gotcha Claw Machine Arcade is in its soft opening phase. It is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 9 p.m., Friday from noon to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is located at 6555 Siegen Ln., Ste. 16.

Chen hopes to hold a grand opening event in early September. Keep up with Gotcha Claw Machine Arcade on its website and Facebook page.