Doom's Unlikely PDF Port: A Testament to its Enduring Legacy

A high school student's remarkable achievement has added a new chapter to Doom's (1993) already impressive history of unconventional ports: the game now runs, albeit slowly, within a PDF file. This feat underscores Doom's compact nature and the boundless creativity of its dedicated fanbase.

Doom, id Software's seminal first-person shooter (FPS), holds a legendary status in gaming history. Its influence is so profound that it essentially coined the term "FPS," with many early games in the genre considered "Doom clones." Recently, a trend has emerged: porting Doom to the most unexpected devices imaginable – from refrigerators and alarm clocks to car stereos. This latest PDF port, created by GitHub user ading2210, takes this trend to a new level.

Adding2210 leveraged the PDF format's JavaScript capabilities, enabling functions like 3D rendering and user input detection. However, replicating Doom's 320x200 resolution using typical interactive PDF techniques (small text boxes as pixels) proved impractical. The solution? Using a single text box per screen row, resulting in a playable, albeit significantly slowed-down, version. The resulting gameplay, as shown in a video, lacks color, sound, and text, with a frame rate of approximately 80ms.

Doom's relatively small size (2.39 MB) is a key factor enabling such ports. This compact nature previously allowed for a playable version on the Nintendo Alarmo, controlled using its dials and buttons. Other creative ports, such as the Balandro version (running across playing cards), further demonstrate the game's adaptability and the ingenuity of its players.

These projects aren't about achieving optimal performance; they celebrate the enduring legacy of Doom and the limitless creativity of its community. Over three decades later, Doom's continued relevance is a testament to its impact. As players continue to explore new frontiers, we can expect even more surprising Doom ports to emerge in the future.