Doom Ported to PDF: Gaming Meets Documents

Summary

• A high school student has successfully ported Doom (1993) to a PDF file, creating a slow but playable version of the game.
• Doom's small file size enables it to be run on various unconventional devices, including the Nintendo Alarmo and within other games like Balandro.
• These creative projects showcase the endless possibilities for running Doom, underscoring its lasting impact and relevance in the gaming world.

One dedicated high school student has achieved the remarkable feat of porting the iconic game Doom (1993) to a PDF file. This innovative project joins the ranks of numerous other unconventional devices on which Doom has been successfully played.

Developed by id Software, Doom is widely recognized as one of the most influential video games in history, 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 often referred to as "Doom clones." Over the years, a trend has emerged where programmers and gaming enthusiasts have strived to run Doom on the most unexpected devices, from refrigerators and alarm clocks to car stereos and beyond. This amusing yet impressive trend has now reached a new milestone.

The high school student, known as ading2210 on GitHub, has ingeniously ported Doom into a PDF file. This was made possible because the PDF format supports JavaScript, which allows for 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 would require thousands of boxes per frame, which isn't feasible. Instead, ading2210 opted to use 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 compact size of Doom, at just 2.39 megabytes, makes such feats possible. Recently, in November, another programmer managed to run Doom on the Nintendo Alarmo, using the device's dials and buttons for navigation. However, the creativity doesn't stop at hardware; another enthusiast successfully integrated Doom into Balandro, allowing players to experience the classic FPS across the game's spread cards, albeit with noticeable performance issues similar to those seen in the PDF version.

These projects are not primarily about playing Doom smoothly on unconventional platforms but rather about showcasing the boundless possibilities for running the game. More than 30 years after its release, Doom's continued relevance and enduring legacy are evident. As players continue to experiment, it's likely that Doom will be ported to even more unusual devices in the future.