Doom Becomes Playable in a PDF File Thanks to High School Programmer

A creative coder used PDF's JavaScript support to bring the iconic 1993 game to an unconventional platform, continuing Doom's legacy of improbable ports.

A high school coder, known as ading2210, has successfully made the classic video game Doom playable within a PDF file using JavaScript and ASCII art rendering.
The PDF port works only in Chromium-based browsers like Google Chrome and uses keyboard inputs for gameplay, though it lacks sound and features monochrome visuals.
This project builds on Doom's history of being ported to unlikely platforms, including pregnancy tests, ATMs, and even gut bacteria, following its 1997 open-source code release.
The PDF implementation uses a simplified version of Doom's code, converted through an older version of the Emscripten compiler to function within the limited capabilities of PDF JavaScript.
This latest effort highlights the ongoing cultural fascination with running Doom on unconventional devices, inspiring curiosity about what platform the game will conquer next.