Doom Ported to PDF: A Gaming First

Summary

• A high school student has successfully ported Doom (1993) to a PDF file, creating a slow but playable experience.
• The compact size of Doom enables it to be run on unconventional devices, such as the Nintendo Alarmo and within other video games like Balandro.
• These creative endeavors highlight Doom's lasting legacy and its ongoing relevance in the gaming community.

The world of gaming continues to witness remarkable feats, with a high school student recently porting the iconic game Doom (1993) to a PDF file. This innovative project adds to the growing list of unconventional devices on which Doom has been played, showcasing 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." Over the years, a trend has emerged where programmers and gaming enthusiasts have taken on the challenge of running Doom on the most unexpected 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 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 playable version of the game. A video shared by the creator demonstrates 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 compact size of Doom, at just 2.39 megabytes, makes such feats possible. Recently, in November, a programmer managed to make Doom playable on the Nintendo Alarmo, using the device's dials to move the character and side buttons to navigate the menu. Additionally, another creative player has made Doom run within Balandro, allowing players to experience the classic FPS across the game's spread cards, albeit with performance issues similar to the PDF version.

These projects are not primarily about playing Doom smoothly on these unconventional platforms. Instead, they highlight the endless possibilities that creative players can explore to run the game. More than 30 years after its release, Doom's continued relevance 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.