Doom's Enduring Legacy: A PDF Port and Beyond

A high school student's remarkable feat of porting the iconic 1993 game, Doom, to a PDF file demonstrates the game's enduring appeal and the boundless creativity of its fanbase. While offering a playable, albeit slow, experience, this achievement adds to the long list of unconventional platforms where Doom has found a home.

Doom's compact size (a mere 2.39 MB) is a key factor enabling such ports. Its influence on the first-person shooter (FPS) genre is undeniable; the game's very existence helped define the genre, with many early FPS titles often labeled "Doom clones." This legacy continues to inspire programmers and gamers alike to push the boundaries of where Doom can run.

Recent examples include a Doom port to the Nintendo Alarmo, controlled via its dials and buttons, and another within the card game Balandro. These projects, including the PDF version by GitHub user ading2210, often suffer performance limitations. The PDF port, for instance, utilizes a single text box per screen row, resulting in a lack of color, sound, and text, alongside an 80ms frame rate. However, the goal isn't necessarily optimal performance; it's about showcasing the ingenuity and persistence of the Doom community.

The ability to run Doom on devices as diverse as refrigerators, alarm clocks, and now, PDF files, underscores its lasting impact. Over three decades after its release, Doom remains a source of ongoing experimentation and creative expression. The future likely holds even more surprising platforms for this legendary game.