Summary
One dedicated high school student managed to port the highly influential gameDoom(1993) to a PDF file. This surprising development adds to the many other unexpected devices on whichDoomhas been played in the past.
Developed by id Software,Doomis widely considered one of the most influential video gamesever, especially in the FPS genre. In fact, the very existence ofDoominspired the term “FPS,” and for many years, games of this kind were simply regarded as “Doomclones.” Over the past few years, a trend has gained popularity, with different programmers and video game enthusiasts attempting to runDoomon the most unexpected devices. These range from fridges, alarm clocks, and car stereos to almost anything with a little bit of technology in it. This humorous yet impressive trend has now reached new heights.
High school student andGitHub user ading2210has portedthe classicDoominto a PDF file. As they explained, the PDF format supports JavaScript, enabling functions like 3D rendering, making HTTP requests, and detecting users’ monitors. Most interactive PDFs utilize small text boxes as pixels, butDoom’s 320x200 resolution requires thousands for each frame, which isn’t practical. That’s why, in this version, ading2210 uses one text box per screen row, making the game slow but playable. As seen in a video shared by the creator, the game lacks color, sound, and text, and it has an 80ms per frame response time.
High School Student Ports Doom (1993) to a PDF
One of the reasons this feat is possible is the compact size ofDoom(2.39 megabytes). Not long ago, in November, a programmer managed tomakeDoomplayable on the Nintendo Alarmo, using the dials on the top to move the character and the side buttons to navigate the game’s menu. But fans haven’t limited themselves to devices alone, as another creative player managed to makeDoomrun inBalatro. In this port, players can experience the classic FPS acrossBalatro’s spread cards, though there are some obvious performance issues, much like the PDF version.
The point of these projects isn’t necessarily toplayDoomsmoothly on these unconventional platforms. Instead, it highlights the endless possibilities creative players can find to run it. The fact that, more than 30 years later,Doomcontinues to be relevant is just further proof of its enduring legacy. As players keep experimenting, it’s likelyDoomwill be ported to even more unusual devices in the future.
Doom (1993)
WHERE TO PLAY
Developed by id Software, and originally released in 1993, DOOM pioneered and popularized the first-person shooter, setting a standard for all FPS games. An enhanced version was released on PC, consoles, and mobile devices in 2019. Now, you can get the enhanced version of the base game and the additional content here.StoryYou’re a marine—one of Earth’s best—recently assigned to the Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) research facility on Mars. When the UAC’s teleportation gateway between the moons of Phobos and Deimos malfunctioned, something evil was created: a portal to H
