Summary
- A high school student has successfully ported Doom (1993) to a PDF file, creating a slow but playable version of the game.
- The compact size of Doom allows it to be run on unconventional devices, such as the Nintendo Alarmo and within other video games like Balandro.
- The ongoing efforts to port Doom to various platforms showcase its lasting legacy and continued relevance in the gaming community.
In a remarkable display of ingenuity, a high school student has managed to port the iconic game Doom (1993) to a PDF file. This latest development adds to the game's long history of being played on an array of unexpected devices.
Developed by id Software, Doom is widely recognized as one of the most influential video games of all time, particularly in the first-person shooter (FPS) genre. The game's impact was so profound that it inspired the term "FPS," and for years, similar games were often referred to as “Doom clones.” In recent years, a trend has emerged where programmers and gaming enthusiasts have taken on the challenge of running Doom on the most unconventional devices imaginable, from fridges and alarm clocks to car stereos and beyond.
The high school student, known on GitHub as ading2210, utilized the PDF format's support for JavaScript to achieve this feat. JavaScript in PDFs 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 text boxes per frame, which is impractical. Instead, ading2210 opted to use one text box per screen row, resulting in a slower but still playable version of the game. A video shared by the creator shows the game running without color, sound, or text, and with a response time of 80ms per frame.
High School Student Ports Doom (1993) to a PDF
One of the reasons this porting is feasible is Doom's compact size of just 2.39 megabytes. Recently, in November, a programmer successfully made Doom playable on the Nintendo Alarmo, using the device's dials to control movement and side buttons to navigate the menu. However, the creativity doesn't stop at hardware; another enthusiast managed to run Doom within Balandro, a card game, where players can experience the classic FPS across the spread cards, albeit with noticeable performance limitations similar to the PDF version.
These projects are not primarily about playing Doom smoothly on these unconventional platforms. Rather, they highlight the boundless creativity of players and the endless possibilities for running the game. More than 30 years after its release, Doom's continued relevance is a testament to its enduring legacy. As enthusiasts continue to experiment, it's likely that Doom will be ported to even more unusual devices in the future.
