Ever worked deep underground in cramped, dark tunnels, swinging a pickaxe at coal seams? This VR simulation from Germany's WDR broadcaster lets you descend hundreds of meters in a rattling elevator and mine coal with a virtual pickaxe. It recreates the harsh, perilous conditions miners faced a century ago in a free-to-play action adventure on PC.
Players grip the pickaxe to chip away at walls in narrow shafts, capturing the grueling physical demands of the job. The experience highlights a fading tradition as Germany's final coal mines close by late 2018. VR enthusiasts seeking authentic historical simulations will find it a stark, hands-on lesson in industrial labor.
Ever worked hundreds of meters beneath the earth, bent down in dark, narrow shafts, hitting coal out of the walls? Probably not. Now you can: The WDR, Germany’s largest public broadcaster, presents the interactive VR experience “Meet the Miner – WDR VR Bergwerk”. With an Oculus Rift, users can experience how dangerous and grueling life of a miner was 100 years ago – feeling what it was like racing down hundreds of meters into the earth in a shaky elevator and mining coal with a virtual pickaxe. Something you will never be able to do in real life again. It is the highlight of a VR/360° project focussing on a dying tradition – the last German coal mines will be shut down at the end of 2018.
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