{
  "id": 12968271,
  "title": "You can now play Doom on a SQL database in one of the most astonishing porting projects we've ever seen",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/you-can-now-play-doom-on-a-sql-database-in-one-of-the-most",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-08T22:10:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/pro/you-can-now-play-doom-on-a-sql-database-in-one-of-the-most-astonishing-porting-projects-weve-ever-seen"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Doom can now be played entirely within a SQL database, thanks to the work of developer Lukas Vogel. The project, called SQLDoom, handles both game logic and rendering through SQL queries. With about 1,300 lines of SQL code, SQLDoom achieves 35 full-color frames per second at 640x480 resolution. The port uses CedarDB tables to store level geometry and game state, while a lightweight Python script manages timing, input, and display output.\n\nAn earlier attempt, DoomQL, relied on raycasting with grayscale text characters, resembling Wolfenstein 3D more than Doom. Vogel felt this version fell short, prompting him to create SQLDoom, where the rendering system and game loop operate entirely through SQL. Vogel found handling level geometry relatively easy, thanks to a sort key that determines when each map loads. However, floors and ceilings proved more challenging, as Doom's original engine uses visplanes and state changes that don't translate neatly to SQL rendering.\n\nDespite the port's unconventional approach, Vogel describes the result as feeling like real Doom, even though it shares no code with existing ports. The port supports deathmatch play, with public online servers available for multiplayer matches. While reviewers report sluggish performance online, Vogel argues that the database keeps a steady record of game state with no partially applied updates or physics bugs. The project also showcases CedarDB, a database system that compiles complex queries into machine code.",
  "summary": "Developer rebuilds Doom in SQL, achieving full-color rendering, game logic, multiplayer, and playable performance through CedarDB queries locally.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}