Software engineer Wojciech Graj has achieved an unusual technical feat by successfully porting the classic game Doom to run entirely within a Microsoft Word document.
The 6.6MB standalone document, now available on GitHub, contains a source port of doomgeneric and runs surprisingly well, albeit without sound. The port maintains faithful graphics and smooth gameplay reminiscent of the original 1993 release.
To run the game, users need a modern version of Microsoft Office on an x86 computer and must enable VBA macros despite security warnings. The document contains encoded game data and a specialized DLL library that powers the experience.
The technical implementation relies on a VBA macro that extracts base64-encoded data upon opening the document. During gameplay, the system creates bitmap images for each frame while monitoring keyboard inputs for player controls.
Players can navigate using arrow keys, fire with Control, interact using Space, and select weapons via number keys 1-7. The viewport maintains the classic 320x200 pixel resolution to help ensure smooth performance.
This Word-based version joins Graj's growing collection of unconventional Doom ports, including versions for Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and an ASCII-based variant. His project drew inspiration from earlier experiments like DoomPDF and Pdftris.
While the lack of sound effects and music may disappoint some players, this innovative port demonstrates the remarkable flexibility of both Microsoft Word's macro system and the enduring adaptability of the original Doom engine.