Doom Playable in PDF File

Doom has been successfully ported to unconventional devices like toasters, refrigerators, and virtually any device imaginable, making the hunt for new and impressive Doom-capable platforms increasingly challenging. However, an innovative high school student has achieved the unexpected by embedding a playable Doom game within an actual PDF file – accessible directly through your web browser.

While this version lacks conventional features like text and sound, that hardly matters when you can blast through E1M1 while ostensibly reviewing those neglected tax documents.

The breakthrough comes from GitHub user ading2210, a high school programmer who took inspiration from TetrisPDF – a recent PDF-based Tetris port – to bring one of gaming's most iconic first-person shooters to document format. The result runs smoothly in Chromium-based browsers.

ading2210 cleverly utilized JavaScript functionality within browser-based PDF viewers to make this unlikely port possible. Although official PDF specifications permit more advanced scripting, modern browser security restrictions required creative workarounds. Nevertheless, the core Doom experience remains intact.

The PDF specification's JavaScript support provided ading2210 with "the computational freedom needed" to achieve this feat. The resulting six-color ASCII representation of Doom's graphics, while simplified, delivers a surprisingly recognizable version of the classic shooter – albeit with an 80ms frame rendering delay.

While this PDF version won't replace your gaming console, the technical accomplishment is undeniable. The clarity of the implementation is particularly impressive given the unconventional platform.

Interestingly, TetrisPDF creator Thomas Rinsma revealed on Hacker News that he'd also developed his own PDF-based Doom port, though he acknowledged that ading2210's implementation is "more polished in several aspects."

While this version isn't ideal for first-time players, the ongoing tradition of running Doom on increasingly absurd platforms – from files to biological systems – continues to captivate tech enthusiasts worldwide.