If you feel like playing DOOM instead of taking a lunch break, this might not be the best idea, as time can slip away very quickly.

An entire subculture has grown around DOOM modding, one that could spell real trouble for our productivity. DoomScroll is a new website that allows users to browse and play thousands of user-created Doom WADs directly in their browser. DoomScroll is the work of software engineer James Baicoianu and internet archivist Jason Scott, who spent several years developing the project before releasing it to celebrate Doom’s 32nd birthday.

On Bluesky, they explained that their goal was to make decades of work from one of gaming history’s most creative communities more accessible and visible. Over the years, the community has built an enormous archive of content, and there is no doubt that DOOM has had a lasting influence on the modern games industry. The DoomScroll archive ranges from simple levels created by children just learning how game development works to full conversions featuring entirely new music, textures, and sprites.

Amid the overwhelming wall of DOOM sprites and bloody industrial textures, each level is presented in a small gray box containing its name, author, description, and a rotating wireframe view of the map. Clicking on the box opens a more detailed overview of the WAD on a virtual laptop, while wireframe previews continue to rotate at the bottom of the page.

Clicking on these previews brings up an interactive automap with a menu running along the top, from which the selected WAD can be launched. After a brief moment, the website boots up the chosen Doom level with the classic pistol start and the familiar mouse-and-keyboard control scheme.

While DoomScroll is a brilliant concept, it is not without flaws. Responding to a post by Jason Scott, modder and YouTuber Major Arlene noted that “some levels do not work on DoomScroll due to limitations of the emulator”, adding that not all creators give permission for their projects to be distributed outside their original upload locations. The DOOM community has long struggled with incomplete or poorly sourced WADs, and DoomScroll currently offers no way for users to verify this information. Even so, the modder still considers the project a fantastic idea.

Still, it might be wise to avoid using it during work hours, as it could be dangerous even when working remotely.

Source: PCGamer, DoomScroll, Bluesky, Bluesky