Bin Master

The Beginning: A long time ago, there existed a device called "Game & Watch". It was a handheld gaming device with a game called "Parachute". The game is about catching paratroopers with a boat to prevent them from getting eaten by sharks.

Although the technology of that time was very limited, it has entertained and was enjoyed by millions all over the world. That simple idea of catching something falling was a great new novel idea back in those days. Since then, the idea of catching something has been copied, iterated over, and improved upon over and over and over again for decades.

Today is one of those days when an old existing idea is used as the core mechanics of a new game, but this time I made sure that it feels so good, it's designed to feel especially satisfying compared to traditional implementations.

The Psychology: For the longest time, catching games feels like they are almost giving you complete control but it has that very small feeling of trying to reach the finish line only to fail at the last second. This is because the timing and the movement of the catcher does not adjust to the timing of the falling objects.

You see, in the old games, when you move your player from left to right, it is either it is barely keeping up with your command or it uses a touch and hold technique which makes the character glide to the preferred side. All of those work but the problem is much deeper as I have come to find out upon investigating this rabbit hole.

It is known for the longest time that the hardest to hit target is a falling object. Moving objects are hard to hit but a falling object is by far the most difficult, almost impossible to hit, and only a handful of people (compared to the entire population) can hit this accurately. The psychology and biology behind this is fascinating and is vast and these are just some of those points which are very important as to how this mechanic works: Reaction time, Predictive tracking, Perception of speed, Motor coordination complexity, and the Rewards-feedback loop.

Catching falling objects is deceptively hard, our brains must predict trajectories, react within fractions of a second, and coordinate precise movements. Even tiny errors feel punishing, but ohhh boy when you catch that one object, it is so satisfying, and seeing that there is a next one just compounds to that good feeling you've just had.

Since we are not shooting down falling objects the psychology shifts a little but these principles still apply.

The Improvement: Now that we understand the psychology behind it, the next thing is to align this psychological effect with the physiological aspect. In other words, make the movement of the player satisfyingly instant but not teleporting, but just enough to catch and make it feel like the game is with you, not against you.

The player movement is carefully tuned to always feel responsive to the action on screen, so catching falling objects never feels unfair or delayed. Every catch is designed to feel natural, like the game is working with you rather than against you. The exact timing is fine-tuned behind the scenes.

The Motivation: My dad, just like with other games I have created was the one who told me about Game & Watch and Parachute. I wanted to recreate the game from his childhood but with a modern twist, and I want more people from all generations to experience this amazing mechanic that I improved upon and hopefully would entertain them no matter what point in life they're currently living.

Closing Remarks: Upon writing this article, the highest score I've got is 627. Yes I am the developer, No I did not cheat. I promise. I played it legitimately.