Doom Has Been Ported to a PDF File

Doom's Enduring Legacy: Now Playable in a PDF File!

A high school student's remarkable feat has added a new chapter to Doom's (1993) legendary portability. This influential first-person shooter, renowned for its compact size and impact on the FPS genre, has now been successfully ported to a PDF file.

This achievement builds upon a long-standing tradition of running Doom on unconventional hardware. From refrigerators and alarm clocks to car stereos and even within other games like Balandro, the possibilities seem limitless. The inherent compactness of Doom (a mere 2.39 megabytes) makes such feats possible. A recent example includes a playable version on the Nintendo Alarmo, utilizing its dials and buttons for control.

GitHub user ading2210, the high school student behind the PDF port, leveraged JavaScript's capabilities within the PDF format. While the PDF's limitations result in a monochrome, soundless, and sluggish experience (80ms per frame), the game remains playable. The innovative approach uses a single text box per screen row, a workaround necessitated by the impracticality of using individual text boxes for each pixel at Doom's 320x200 resolution.

The significance of these projects transcends mere playability. They showcase the boundless creativity of gamers and the enduring appeal of Doom. Over three decades after its release, Doom continues to inspire and amaze, demonstrating its lasting impact on gaming history. The ongoing experimentation suggests that even more unusual platforms will host Doom in the years to come.