YouTuber prank-plays Dom II with his Porsche 911
YouTuber prank-plays Dom II with his Porsche 911. Image: Identi.

Matt Swarthout, a software engineer, posted a video to his YouTube channel ‘vexal’ showing how to play Doom II on a 2017 Porsche 911’s computer on Sunday. The supposed hack only requires a flash drive, a copy of the game, and the car.

Close to 600,000 people and counting have seen the video, and many of them believe what they see is real. Of course, this is not the case, as ‘vexal’ has uploaded similar pranks in the past.

The video seems to be based on the old meme that says anything with a screen can run Doom. The popular first-person shooter has been ported to everything from toasters to printers and camera viewfinders.

How to play Doom in your car according to Vexal

Swarthout claims all you need to get Doom up and running on any next-gen vehicle is a flash drive, a copy of the original game, and a car.

To start playing the game, you have to boot the computer in safe mode by putting in a flash drive. The drive needs to have a single file with the vehicle’s VIN. Once it boots, you need to insert the Doom copy into the CD reader slot.

The car’s computer will then show the game on the screen, but how to play it? Vexal claims new models match up controls by default with the steering wheel, the shifter, the honk, and the accelerator.

Matt Swarthout accelerates to move forward, steers to go either left or right, shifts gears to switch weapons, and honks to fire at demons showing up in the central display.

The prankster demonstrates how to play by driving in an empty parking lot, not without warning viewers first not to try the stunt on public roads.

You can play Doom almost anywhere, except a car

Of course, this is nothing but a prank. The images coming up on the screen were most likely edited on top of the video to match the YouTuber’s movements as he steers the wheel, honks, and drives around.

Doom, however, is popular in the gaming community for being one of the most ported games ever. Fans have created versions you can play on calculators, iPods, pianos, and even smartwatches.

Most recently, the latest installment of Doom was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2016. It won the category for best music and sound design, and there was a live performance of iconic themes from the title.

Source: YouTube