Created by a developer known as ading2210, who describes himself as a high school student passionate about programming, web development, and cybersecurity, the Doom PDF project is truly an innovative endeavor. By leveraging the Javascript support within PDFs, he has managed to reimagine the classic first-person shooter, Doom, in a purely text-based format. While its functionality might not be seamless, witnessing it operate in this unconventional medium is undoubtedly impressive.
On the project’s GitHub page, ading2210 shares insight into his creative process: “I’ve seen interactive PDF projects before, which typically toggle text fields on and off to simulate individual pixels. With Doom’s resolution of 320×200, however, this approach would require an unmanageable number of text fields to be toggled every frame. Instead, I implemented a system where each screen row is represented by a separate text field, which then displays different ASCII characters. This strategy allowed me to achieve a 6-color monochrome output, ensuring that the game remains legible.”
For those curious to try it out, Doom PDF is compatible with Chromium-based browsers like Chrome, Edge, and Opera. It even supports custom WADs—those modified Doom files that have been around for decades—though you’ll need the original Doom WAD to make everything run smoothly. It’s a unique way to experience this iconic game, showcasing the developer’s innovative spirit and technical skill.
