Taking out the Trash!
About
Taking Out the Trash! is a 3D physics-based minigame where players clean the streets by collecting rubbish and throwing it into moving dumpsters to earn points within a time limit. The player with the highest score wins!
Project Info
Role(s): Game Developer
Team Size: 1
Timeline: 01 Mar 2022 - 06 Mar 2022
Engine: Unity (C#)
Tags: 3D, Action, Arcade, Physics, Score, Simulation
Updated: Mar, 2026
The game was developed in six days as part of a private rapid ideation event (Game Jam) themed around COP26, for the Development Practice (GDO710) module during my postgraduate degree in Indie Game Development at Falmouth University.
The objective is simple: players collect rubbish scattered around the level and throw it into moving dumpsters to score points before time runs out. There are three dumpsters, each awarding a different score depending on its distance from the player. The furthest dumpster awards the most points, but is significantly harder to hit due to its distance and increased movement speed.
The event spanned two weeks: Week 1 focused on planning, while Week 2 was dedicated to production. The art assets were outsourced, and the sound effects were sourced from Freesound.org and copyright-free YouTube content under Creative Commons licences. The game was submitted and published on itch.io.
As the solo Game Developer, I programmed the player controller, moving dumpster mechanics, item spawning, item containers, and the scoring system.
I also designed the level around the three moving dumpsters, built using free assets from the Unity Asset Store. Each dumpster awards different scores depending on its distance and difficulty, creating a simple risk–reward mechanic that encourages players to decide whether to play it safe or go for the higher-value throws.
Lastly, I conducted internal playtesting during development, but the short turnaround meant there was limited time to fully implement feedback before submission.
I really enjoyed this game jam for two reasons. First, I’m personally passionate about environmental issues, so it was rewarding to create a game inspired by the COP26 theme. Second, it gave me the chance to experiment with physics-driven gameplay in a fun and accessible way.
Like A Murder of Crows, I felt I had a lot of creative freedom with this project. I decided to revisit mechanics I had experimented with previously, particularly physics-based interactions I had explored in The Forsaken Ruins. This jam gave me the opportunity to expand on those ideas and refine them into a more focused gameplay loop.
If I had more time, I would have liked to lean further into the environmental theme to make the connection to COP26 clearer. I would also refine the scoring system to encourage players to spend more time replaying the game and trying to improve their score.
Overall, I consider the project a successful game jam. While it didn’t fully achieve the larger message it set out to deliver, it resulted in a fun and engaging prototype built within a very short development window.