Doom Now Playable in PDF: A Game-Changing Innovation

The iconic game Doom has been successfully ported to an array of unconventional devices, from toasters to fridges, pushing the boundaries of where it can be played. However, a high school student named ading2210 has taken this a step further by ingeniously porting Doom into a PDF file that can be run directly in your browser. While this version of Doom lacks traditional features like text and sound, it still allows you to enjoy the classic E1M1 level, perhaps while procrastinating on those overdue taxes.

Inspired by the TetrisPDF project, ading2210 utilized the Javascript capabilities within PDF readers to make Doom playable in a Chromium-based browser. Despite the official PDF specifications allowing for complex scripting, browser security limits these functions. Nevertheless, ading2210 managed to leverage these capabilities to perform necessary computations, resulting in a remarkable, albeit simplified, rendition of Doom. The game uses a six-color ASCII grid for its graphics and sprites, and while it boasts a slower frame rate of 80ms per frame, the legibility of the game remains intact.

While this PDF version of Doom may not replace your PS5 gaming experience, its novelty and the ingenuity behind it are undeniable. Thomas Rinsma, the creator of TetrisPDF, acknowledged ading2210's work on Hacker News, praising its neatness. Though not the ideal introduction to Doom, the continuous innovation of running Doom on everything from PDF files to living gut bacteria keeps the community entertained and showcases the game's enduring versatility.