Doom Now Playable in PDF Format

Summary

• A high school student has successfully ported Doom (1993) to a PDF file, creating a slow yet playable version of the game.
• Doom's small file size enables it to be run on a variety of unconventional devices, including the Nintendo Alarmo and within other video games like Balandro.
• The ongoing efforts to run Doom on diverse platforms underscore its lasting legacy and continued relevance in the gaming community.

A high school student, showcasing remarkable ingenuity, has managed to port the iconic game Doom (1993) to a PDF file. This innovative project adds to the growing list of unexpected devices on which Doom has been played, highlighting the game's versatility and enduring appeal.

Developed by id Software, Doom is celebrated as one of the most influential video games, particularly in the first-person shooter (FPS) genre. The game's impact was so significant that it inspired the term "FPS," and for many years, similar games were often referred to as "Doom clones." In recent years, a trend has emerged where programmers and gaming enthusiasts have taken on the challenge of running Doom on the most unconventional devices imaginable, from refrigerators and alarm clocks to car stereos and beyond. This playful yet impressive trend has now reached a new milestone.

The high school student, known on GitHub as ading2210, has successfully ported Doom into a PDF file. The PDF format's support for JavaScript allows for functionalities such as 3D rendering, making HTTP requests, and detecting users' monitors. While most interactive PDFs use small text boxes as pixels, Doom's 320x200 resolution requires thousands of text boxes per frame, which is impractical. To overcome this, ading2210 uses one text box per screen row, resulting in a slower but still playable game. A video shared by the creator demonstrates the game running without color, sound, or text, and with an 80ms per frame response time.

High School Student Ports Doom (1993) to a PDF

The compact size of Doom, at just 2.39 megabytes, makes such feats possible. Recently, in November, a programmer successfully made Doom playable on the Nintendo Alarmo, using the device's dials to control movement and side buttons to navigate the menu. However, the creativity doesn't stop at hardware; another enthusiast managed to run Doom within Balandro, allowing players to experience the classic FPS across the game's spread cards, albeit with noticeable performance limitations similar to the PDF version.

These projects are not primarily about playing Doom smoothly on these unconventional platforms. Instead, they showcase the boundless creativity of players and the endless possibilities for running the game. More than 30 years after its release, Doom's continued relevance is a testament to its enduring legacy. As enthusiasts continue to experiment, it's likely that Doom will be ported to even more unusual devices in the future.