A paper throwing game with an office bin and fan

Bin It, a small skill game in Games by Zaweba, is exactly this. You flick screwed-up paper into the office bin while a desk fan does its best to stop you. Each bin you score moves the bin further away, and three misses means you're out of paper. It is free and plays offline.

It takes seconds to learn and a long time to stop wanting one more go.

The flick

Press on the paper ball, flick upwards towards the bin, and let go. A faster flick throws further. That is all there is to the controls, and it's enough, because the fan makes every throw a judgement.

Try to keep the flick smooth. A jerky flick is hard to repeat, and repeating a good throw is most of the skill. Once you find a speed that reaches the bin, keep it and only adjust your aim.

Beating the desk fan

Watch the wind gauge before every throw. The fan blows the paper sideways, so you need to aim off, flicking to one side of the bin and letting the air carry the ball back. A strong gust needs more aim off; a weak one needs very little.

As the bin moves further away, the fan has longer to push the paper, so the same wind needs more allowance. A throw that went in from close up would miss from far away unless you aim off further.

A run of bins

Each bin in a row moves the bin further away, so the game gets harder as you succeed. Three misses and you're out of paper. That makes it a game of streaks. A long run of bins is the score, and each miss is a step closer to the end.

When you miss, don't change everything. Look at where the paper went. If it fell short, flick faster. If it blew past, aim off more or less. Change one thing at a time so you can see which change helped.

Your best score is kept on the game's tile in Games by Zaweba, in a scores file on your own PC, so there's always a run to beat.

The desk fan is what turns a simple flick into a real skill game. Without it, you'd find the right speed and score forever. With it, every throw asks a fresh question, and the answer changes as the bin moves back. That small amount of uncertainty keeps the game interesting long after you've learned the controls.

Picking up a paper ball

Bin It is on the Skill & sport shelf, alongside darts, pool, archery and more. Press Ctrl+F and type bin to find it. The title card explains how to play, F1 explains it again, Esc pauses and F11 fills the screen. If you switch windows the game pauses itself.

It is a nice one to share, because anyone can play it straight away. Children enjoy the flick, adults enjoy the wind, and the best score on the tile settles arguments. There are no adverts and no accounts, and nothing goes online. Everything is drawn and every sound is synthesised in code.

If you like the flick, Hoop Shot and Skimming Stones on the same shelf are close relatives: quick throws, one simple gesture, and something in the way.