Doom Has Been Ported to a PDF File

Summary

• A high school student has successfully ported the classic 1993 game Doom to a PDF file, resulting in a surprisingly playable, albeit slow, experience.
• Doom's compact size has consistently fueled its porting to unconventional devices, including the Nintendo Alarmo and even within other video games.
• The ongoing efforts to run Doom on unusual platforms demonstrate its enduring legacy and the boundless creativity of its dedicated fanbase.

One dedicated high school student has achieved the remarkable feat of porting the influential 1993 game Doom to a PDF file. This addition to the already extensive list of unexpected platforms on which Doom has been played underscores the game's enduring appeal.

Developed by id Software, Doom is widely recognized as one of the most influential video games ever created, particularly within the first-person shooter (FPS) genre. Its impact is so significant, it's credited with popularizing the very term "FPS," and for years, similar games were often dismissed as mere "Doom clones." Recently, a trend has emerged among programmers and gaming enthusiasts: running Doom on the most unexpected devices imaginable. From refrigerators and alarm clocks to car stereos, almost any device with a hint of technological capability has been pressed into service. This humorous yet impressive trend has now reached a new peak.

High school student and GitHub user ading2210 has ported the classic Doom experience into a PDF file. Leveraging the fact that PDFs support JavaScript, allowing for 3D rendering, HTTP requests, and monitor detection, ading2210 overcame a significant hurdle. While most interactive PDFs use small text boxes as pixels, Doom's 320x200 resolution demands thousands per frame—an impractical approach. Instead, ading2210 cleverly uses one text box per screen row, resulting in a slower but still playable game. As demonstrated in a video, the PDF version lacks color, sound, and text, exhibiting an 80ms per-frame response time.

High School Student Ports Doom (1993) to a PDF

The success of this port is partly due to Doom's compact size (2.39 megabytes). This small footprint has previously enabled Doom to run on devices like the Nintendo Alarmo, using its dials for movement and buttons for menu navigation (November 2024). The creativity extends beyond physical devices; another player successfully ported Doom to run within the game Balandro, albeit with performance limitations similar to the PDF version.

These projects aren't solely about achieving smooth gameplay on unconventional platforms. They highlight the endless possibilities for creative players and showcase the enduring legacy of Doom. The fact that Doom, over 30 years after its release, remains a source of ongoing experimentation is a testament to its lasting impact. As players continue to push boundaries, we can expect even more surprising Doom ports to emerge in the future.