The Nerdy Type

There’s nothing I love more than something inspired by a true story, especially when that true story happens to be one of the most insane stories you’re likely to ever hear. One Man’s Trash is a game that, while it stands incredibly well on its own, is bolstered by the incredible true story of one man’s disastrous mistake. 

One Man’s Trash is a game currently being developed by solo developer Jony Pazu. Some may say that it’s a clone of A Game About Digging A Hole. While it’s true that they are incredibly similar in most ways – most of the mechanics are, admittedly, identical – I’d argue that Pazu has only improved on them, made them faster, sleeker, and overall more enjoyable. 

Here’s everything there is to love about One Man’s Trash, and the true story that inspired it. 

A quick (recent) history lesson

Back in 2013, a Welsh computer engineer named James Howells (or his now ex-partner, it’s not entirely clear) threw out what appeared to be an inconsequential hard drive, with it then going on to end up in the local Newport landfill. That alone isn’t too much of an issue, we’ve all thrown out something we wanted to keep, but this isn’t about the hard drive. It’s about what was on it. 

The private key for 8,000 Bitcoin. 

Now, I don’t claim to be anything near an expert in cryptocurrencies, so I did some research. At the time, those 8,000 Bitcoin were worth around £500,000. According to Wikipedia, and a quick “how much is 8,000 Bitcoin worth right now” Google search, apparently that’s £629,216,848 ($848,773,277, for my American friends) today. However you look at it, that’s a lot of money. 

I think we can all agree that, knowing this, throwing it out was a big ol’ boo-boo.

We can also probably all agree that we should have invested in Bitcoin while we had the chance, but that’s probably beside the point.

Anyway… 

Even to this day, there’s a battle raging over this incredibly valuable hard drive, which has never been found. James, rightfully so in my opinion, claims that it is his and he should get it back. Newport council, understandably, claims that it’s on their property and therefore belongs to them. I can’t say who I agree with; both arguments hold weight, sadly. 

The sad story that I’ve just briefly recounted is the inspiration behind One Man’s Trash. You have your own landfill, a vacuum, and somewhere down there is a lost hard drive containing millions of dollars in “PitCoin”. It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together, here. It helps that this is plainly stated on the game’s Steam page. 

Another game about digging a hole… But better

Look, I can’t lie to you. I’m duty-bound to be honest, and I will shamefully admit that I’ve spent far too many hours playing A Game About Digging A Hole, because there’s something so incredibly free and fun about the child-like gameplay loop of simply digging. However, now that I’ve played One Man’s Trash, I likely won’t ever be playing the former game again. 

Everything I love about A Game About Digging A Hole is in One Man’s Trash, but improved in every sense. The shovel is replaced by a vacuum cleaner that not only works infinitely better (somehow), but also stores the dirt and allows you to sell it for profit. This boosts your income by a hefty amount, allowing you to speed through initial upgrades even if you don’t find anything particularly valuable while you’re down in the hole. 

The rope mechanic, which is literally a rope that dangles into your created hole at all times, negates the need to provide yourself with a self-made escape route, allowing you some creative freedom with the layout of your hole. As long as you remember to pay for those upgrades to extend the length of your rope, and you have a way back to it, you’re golden. 

There’s so much trash down there that you’re always one step away from finding something really cool, even if it’s not the misplaced hard drive. Pop culture references litter the layers of dirt, you can unlock skins, and find trash ‘trophies’. There’s no end to the joy of digging in One Man’s Trash, and it evokes those nostalgic memories of being at the beach and seeing how deep I could dig, just for the sake of it. 

Wading through trash is weirdly addictive

I can’t say I’ve ever had an urge to visit my local landfill to dig through the layers of discarded household junk and dirt, but somehow the premise just works in One Man’s Trash. While sucking up traffic cones, trash bags, and car tires, it’s easy to forget that you are a metaphorical trash goblin hoping to strike it rich and likely getting absolutely filthy in the process. I dread to think what this hopeful man would smell like. 

The gameplay loop is simple and familiar: Dig, sell, upgrade, dig again. There’s nothing else to it, but that doesn’t matter, and there doesn’t need to be. With so much to find, including secret areas and hidden pieces of virtual history, One Man’s Trash feels like a constant adventure that doesn’t have an end. You almost end up forgetting about the hard drive completely, opting instead to just keep digging. Who needs millions of dollars when you have your trash?

If you’re itching to be a trash goblin and want that addictive, nostalgic sense of childhood, then you’re going to love One Man’s Trash. A Demo is available to try now on Steam, and if that’s not enough, the full game is set for release on July 23.