Garbage Game

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  Logo

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  Gameplay

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  Title Screen

Inspiration

We wanted to tackle a problem we encountered daily: irresponsible consumption. As urban citizens, we see overflowing trash bins, contaminated recycling and sorting confusion. While most people want to do the right thing, there's a short supply of engaging resources to help them learn recycling. Through this project, we hope to provide a fun way to save the planet.

What it does

What it does: Garbage Game is about sorting items into 3 bins: recycling, organics, and the general garbage bin. When the items appear on screen, click on the button corresponding to the bin to sort the items. If you made the right choice, the robot will be happy! Otherwise… you lose a lightbulb, and the robot will be sad. Once you lose all of your lightbulbs, the game offers an explanation on any items that were incorrectly placed.

How we built it

This project was coded in Visual Studio Code with Java under the Swing framework, and the support of Git and GitHub. Assets were made using the programs Microsoft Paint and Adobe Photoshop.

Challenges we ran into

As this was our first hackathon, we ran into basic challenges such as setting up Microsoft Live Share, Git and GitHub. Additionally, we struggled with importing and incorporating self-made assets and illustrations with Java Swing into our game.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're most proud of finishing our Minimum Viable Product (MVP) within the time limit. As this was our first hackathon, we were unsure of expectations, but we're thrilled to have built a game filled with our passion. Although most of us had prior experience with Java Swing, we're especially proud of incorporating custom-made game assets for the first time as we believe this adds a unique and personal touch.

What we learned

We learned many things, such as the process of implementing PNGs in Java Swing, using Git and GitHub for the first time to utilize version control, collaborating under Microsoft Live Share, and using Microsoft Paint for our illustrations. Most importantly, we learned about statistics regarding the plastic waste that heavily affects the environment.

What's next for Garbage Game

In the future, we would love to add fun, challenging mechanics to keep users engaged, such as spinning buttons to make it harder to click, more items to sort, and additional bins like metals, electronic waste, and clothing. For explanations, we hope to incorporate tools like Google Gemini to provide users smart, real-time feedback when users sort incorrectly, making the game even more educational.

Built With

• git
• github
• java
• liveshare
• mspaint
• photoshop
• swing