Doom has been creatively ported to an astonishing array of devices, from toasters to fridges, pushing the boundaries of what can host this iconic game. Yet, the novelty persists, as a high school student named ading2210 has ingeniously ported Doom into a PDF file that you can run directly in your browser.

While this version of Doom omits traditional elements like text and sound, it's a delightful way to procrastinate on mundane tasks like tax filing by playing E1M1. Inspired by the innovative TetrisPDF, ading2210 harnessed the power of Javascript within a browser's PDF reader to achieve this feat. Despite browser security limitations that restrict the full potential of PDF scripting, the high schooler managed to leverage the available capabilities to perform complex computations.

The result is a visually legible rendition of Doom, utilizing a six-color ASCII grid for its sprites and graphics. While the game runs at a leisurely 80ms per frame, the accomplishment is nothing short of remarkable. You may not want to trade in your PS5 for this experience, but the sheer ingenuity of running Doom within a .PDF file is captivating.

Thomas Rinsma, the creator of TetrisPDF, acknowledged ading2210's work on Hacker News, praising its neatness and execution. While this PDF version of Doom might not be the ideal introduction to the game, the continuous thrill of seeing Doom run on everything from unconventional devices to even living gut bacteria keeps the community engaged and entertained.

Doom in a PDF? Why not? Image credit: YouTube / vk6.