Summary

• A high school student has successfully ported Doom (1993) to a PDF file, creating a slow yet playable experience.
• Doom's small file size enables its operation on unconventional devices, including the Nintendo Alarmo and within other video games like Balandro.
• These creative endeavors showcase Doom's lasting impact and ongoing relevance in the gaming community.

In a remarkable feat, a high school student has ported the iconic game Doom (1993) to a PDF file, adding to the long list of unconventional devices on which this classic has been played. Developed by id Software, Doom is renowned for revolutionizing the first-person shooter (FPS) genre, so much so that it inspired the term "FPS" itself. For years, similar games were often dubbed "Doom clones," underscoring its profound influence.

The trend of running Doom on unexpected platforms has gained significant momentum in recent years. Enthusiasts and programmers have successfully executed Doom on everything from fridges and alarm clocks to car stereos, showcasing the game's versatility and sparking a humorous yet impressive movement. This trend has now escalated with the latest achievement by GitHub user ading2210, a high school student who managed to integrate Doom into a PDF file.

The PDF format's support for JavaScript, which allows for functions such as 3D rendering, HTTP requests, and monitor detection, made this port possible. Although most interactive PDFs use small text boxes as pixels, Doom's 320x200 resolution necessitates thousands of boxes per frame, making it impractical. Instead, ading2210 ingeniously used one text box per screen row, resulting in a slower but functional game. A video demonstration by the creator shows the game running without color, sound, or text, with an 80ms per frame response time.

High School Student Ports Doom (1993) to a PDF

The compact size of Doom, at just 2.39 megabytes, is a key factor enabling such innovative ports. For instance, in November, a programmer successfully ran Doom on the Nintendo Alarmo, using the device's dials to control movement and side buttons to navigate the menu. Similarly, another creative player managed to run Doom within Balandro, allowing players to experience the classic FPS across the game's spread cards, albeit with performance issues akin to the PDF version.

These projects are not primarily about playing Doom smoothly on these unconventional platforms but rather about demonstrating the boundless creativity of the gaming community. More than 30 years after its release, Doom's continued relevance is a testament to its enduring legacy. As enthusiasts keep pushing boundaries, it's likely that Doom will find its way onto even more unusual devices in the future.