{"id":138063,"date":"2025-11-13T18:57:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T18:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/138063\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T18:57:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T18:57:10","slug":"vr-game-allows-you-to-recreate-how-caver-met-the-worst-death-imaginable-news-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/138063\/","title":{"rendered":"VR game allows you to recreate how caver met ‘the worst death imaginable’ | News Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Tilt your head down for a few minutes \u2013 did you feel like your head was about to explode, or your eyeballs fall out as the blood rushed?<\/p>\n

This is what John Jones felt for 28 hours after becoming stuck upside down in a passage at a popular Utah spelunking site in 2009.<\/p>\n

The amateur cave explorer ventured into Nutty Putty Cave with a group of 11 people<\/a>, only to become stuck, with his head angled below his feet.<\/p>\n

He was wedged in a crevice part of an L-shaped area of the cave known as Bob\u2019s Push, which is only about 18 inches wide and 10 inches high.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"A
\n\t\tJohn Hones was 26 when he became wedged inside Nutty Putty Cave (Picture: Utah County Sheriff\u2019s Office)<\/p>\n

The medical student died on November 29, 2009, prompting the closure of the cave 80 miles south of Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n

Now, a virtual reality game has recreated the experience of exploring Nutty Putty cave \u2013 including finding the spot where John became trapped.<\/p>\n

After putting on a VR headset, users can explore the murky darkness and jagged rocks of various caves with nothing but a head torch and chalk to guide them. <\/p>\n

Justin Wieb, a VR content creator, shared a video of himself squeezing through the tight passages of Nutty Putty on his YouTube<\/a> account. <\/p>\n

Scribbled on one of the walls is a chalk message pointing Justin to the \u2018final route and resting place\u2019 of John. <\/p>\n

Justin squeezed through the crevice, about 150 feet below ground. \u2018Oh my Gosh, it keeps going,\u2019 Justin said, as the sound of his character\u2019s heartbeat thumped. <\/p>\n

\u2018He squeezed all the way down, thinking it was going to continue that way but that\u2019s the bottom.<\/p>\n

\u2018I can turn around in VR but essentially, he has his legs sticking up\u2026 I can see how dangerous it can get.\u2019<\/p>\n

Publisher 3R Games said <\/a>developers digitally recreated the winding, 1,400 foot cave by working from official records and rescue testimony<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Developers said the VR experience avoids \u2018gamifying the tragedy\u2019 of John\u2019s death by offering a \u2018respectful and authentic\u2019 way to explore Nutty Putty.<\/p>\n

\u2018Unlike the base game, which faithfully models the risks of real-world spelunking, the Nutty Putty VR recreation is safe: you can\u2019t die, and your flashlight battery never runs out, so stay as long as you like,\u2019 they added.<\/p>\n

Gamers had mixed feelings about the addition of Nutty Putty into Cave Craver.<\/p>\n

\u2018Thanks to VR technology, I can now also refuse to go in VR,\u2019 wrote one in response to an Instagram<\/a> reel of the game shared by Justin.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Nutty
\n\t\tThe complex, about 1,400 feet, was sealed off in 2009 (Picture: Metro)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Cave
\n\t\tCave Crave came out earlier this year, allowing users to explore underground mazes real and imaginary (Picture: Meta)<\/p>\n

Another added: \u2018\u201dYou know that dirt hole someone died in? You can crawl in it [with] VR\u201d that sounds so thrilling\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

Nutty Putty was added to the game as part of a free update, which included input from veteran caver Brandon Kowallis.<\/p>\n

Kowallis was the last person to see John alive, he recalled in a blog post <\/a>on his website. When he arrived, John was barely conscious and was \u2018talking about seeing angels and demons around him\u2019.<\/p>\n

John, who was six feet tall, was briefly freed by rescuers<\/a>, who were able to get him food and water using a rope-and-pulley system.<\/p>\n

But he fell back into the tight space while still upside down when an anchor in the cave roof that supported the pulley system failed. <\/p>\n

The situation was \u2018bleak\u2019, Kowallis said, who was left wondering whether he could even be saved at that point. <\/p>\n

\t\t\"Cave
\n\t\tNutty Putty was introduced into the main game as a free update (Picture: Meta)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"nutty
\n\t\tNutty Putty was once popular as a beginner cave (Picture: MUSEUM FACTS)<\/p>\n

\u2018It looked like he could only be lifted another foot or two in his current position because of where the webbing was anchored around his knees,\u2019 he said. \u2018After a foot or two, he would hit the ceiling.\u2019<\/p>\n

This left his team with a choice \u2013 leave the now unconscious John or use a jackhammer to widen the tunnel, which could cause brain injuries. <\/p>\n

John died from a cardiac arrest \u2013 when the heart suddenly stops beating \u2013 and asphyxiation\u00a0after some 28 hours hanging upside. <\/p>\n

When our bodies are upside down, gravity works against us. Blood pools in the brain, our lungs are squished by heavier organs and our hearts struggle to deal with the increased blood flow.<\/p>\n

John was the first and only known fatality at Nutty Putty Cave. As it was too dangerous to retrieve his body, his remains have been left behind.<\/p>\n

He was survived by his wife, Emily, who was pregnant at the time of his death. The baby was named after him in tribute. <\/p>\n

3R Games has been approached for comment. <\/p>\n

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more stories like this, check our news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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