Rats Play DOOM

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reaction & novelty

  • Many commenters find the project delightfully absurd, “cyberpunk,” and one of the best Show HNs lately.
  • Others are conflicted or disturbed by the image of a rat in VR on a trackball with no easy exit.
  • Several people note it resembles both sci‑fi jokes and real historical projects (e.g., pigeons guiding bombs).

Evidence of gameplay & missing video

  • A recurring frustration is the lack of clear video of rats actually playing Doom on the current setup.
  • Links are shared to older videos showing rats running down a straight corridor in Doom and a short clip of the newer rig, but no full gameplay session.
  • The author explains the second‑generation rig took so long that the pet rats aged out; only habituation was done, not full Doom training.
  • Hardware and software are open‑sourced, with encouragement for labs or hobbyists to continue the work.

Ethics & animal welfare

  • Some are reassured that no surgery is involved and that this seems more benign than typical lab experiments.
  • Others argue any non‑consensual animal experimentation is unethical, especially when reality is being altered via VR and the animal is physically constrained.
  • Concerns about sugar‑water rewards are raised; doses are small, and alternatives (e.g., altered drinking water) are discussed.
  • A few view it as no worse than pet training or work animals, and some even see it as enrichment if the rats enjoy the task.

Technical design, behavior, and suggestions

  • Praise for the custom hardware, VR rig, and attention to whisker space; air puffs tied to in‑game collisions are noted as clever.
  • Suggestions:
    • Release parametric CAD files and bill‑of‑materials cost estimates.
    • Adapt setups for mice, cats, or other species.
    • Reduce reward latency; use clicker‑style conditioning.
    • Better match rat vision: wider field of view, panoramic displays, possibly dual virtual cameras; some see current design as anthropocentric.
    • Alternative control schemes (chin/bite triggers) and first‑person games beyond Doom.

Doom as meme and platform

  • Multiple comments explain Doom’s role as a historically important, mod‑friendly FPS and why “can it run Doom?” became a cultural meme.
  • Jokes about future “running Doom on rats / rat brains” and rodent esports and warfare appear throughout.