Doom is Now Running Inside PDF File
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Key points
- Doom has been ported to a PDF file.
- Doom 1993 sold approximately 3.5 million copies globally.
- The whole Doom franchise has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
An enthusiast has developed a version of the iconic 1993 first-person shooter Doom by id Software that runs inside a PDF file.
The port was developed by an anonymous creator known as Ding, who used ASCII characters to render the game within a PDF text field, showcasing an innovative approach to game design.
The PDF-based port of Doom employs a separate text field for each line of the screen, filling these fields with ASCII characters to depict the game. The result is a legible six-color monochrome output that manages to capture the essence of the original game. While the performance is limited, updating the screen takes approximately 80 milliseconds per frame, which is still enough to enjoy the experience.
Since its release, Doom has become a canvas for creative programmers worldwide. The legendary shooter has been ported to Microsoft Paint, Notepad, Balatro roguelike poker game that won Best Indie Game at TGA 2024, Nintendo’s Alarmo smart alarm clock, pregnancy test, ATM, oscilloscope, calculator powered by potatoes, Excel, LEGO brick, volumetric voxel display, Kodak digital camera, Nokia N95 and dozens of other things easy to find by hashtag #itrunsdoom on different social media platforms.
Ding’s PDF-based Doom follows another recent adaptation, developer Thomas Rinsma’s PDF version of Tetris.
The whole Doom franchise has sold over 10 million copies globally.
