Doom Takes a Surprising Turn: Play it Within a PDF

A high school student has successfully ported the iconic game Doom into a PDF file, allowing players to enjoy the classic shooter directly in their web browsers. This innovative project by Github user ading2210 builds off a previous port of Tetris into a PDF format and utilizes the JavaScript capabilities within PDF readers. Although the Doom version lacks sound and text, it features a six-color ASCII grid for graphics, enabling a playable experience with a response time of 80ms per frame. The novelty of playing Doom in such an unconventional format continues to showcase the limitless creativity in the gaming community.

Doom, released in 1993 by Id Software, is often credited with popularizing first-person shooters. Its groundbreaking graphics and gameplay mechanics set a precedent for future titles in the genre. The game has been re-released on various platforms over the years and continues to inspire fans and developers alike, resulting in numerous ports to unexpected devices and formats.