"Doom Now Playable in PDF Format"

Summary

• A high school student has successfully ported Doom (1993) to a PDF file, allowing for a slow but functional gameplay experience.
• The compact nature of Doom enables its operation on unconventional devices, such as the Nintendo Alarmo and within other video games like Balandro.
• The ongoing efforts to run Doom on various platforms underscore its enduring legacy and continuous relevance in the gaming community.

One dedicated high school student has achieved the remarkable feat of porting the iconic game Doom (1993) to a PDF file. This innovative development adds to the long list of unexpected devices on which Doom has been played.

Developed by id Software, Doom is widely regarded as one of the most influential video games of all time, particularly within 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 simply referred to as "Doom clones." Over recent years, a trend has emerged where programmers and video game enthusiasts have taken up the challenge of running Doom on the most unconventional devices, from fridges and alarm clocks to car stereos and beyond. This playful yet impressive trend has now reached a new milestone.

High school student and GitHub user ading2210 has successfully ported the classic Doom into a PDF file. The student explained that the PDF format supports JavaScript, which enables functions 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 for each frame, which is impractical. Therefore, ading2210 uses one text box per screen row, resulting in a slower but still playable game. A video shared by the creator shows the game running without color, sound, or text, with a response time of 80ms per frame.

High School Student Ports Doom (1993) to a PDF

The reason this feat is possible is due to Doom's compact size of just 2.39 megabytes. Recently, in November, a programmer managed to make Doom playable on the Nintendo Alarmo, using the dials on the top to move the character and the side buttons to navigate the game’s menu. However, fans have not limited themselves to devices alone; another creative player managed to run Doom in Balandro. In this version, players can experience the classic FPS across Balandro’s spread cards, though it comes with noticeable performance issues, similar to the PDF version.

The primary aim of these projects is not to play Doom smoothly on these unconventional platforms but to highlight the endless possibilities that creative players can explore. The fact that Doom remains relevant more than 30 years after its release is a testament to its enduring legacy. As players continue to experiment, it's likely that Doom will be ported to even more unusual devices in the future.