---
title: "New CAPTCHA Forces Users to Prove They’re Human by Playing “Doom”"
description: "A programmer built a new kind of CAPTCHA test that asks users to play a quick game of \"Doom\" to prove that they're really human."
date: "2021-05-25"
modified: "2021-05-25"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/captcha-human-playing-doom"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "captcha"
  - "Doom"
  - "the digest"
---

# New CAPTCHA Forces Users to Prove They’re Human by Playing “Doom”

![A programmer built a new kind of CAPTCHA test that asks users to play a quick game of "Doom" to prove that they're really human.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/doom.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: id Software\</em\>*

## Super Shotgun

An independent programmer is dead-set on making CAPTCHA tests fun for a change.

So instead of identifying pictures of buses and traffic lights, now you can prove you're a human by gunning down demonic enemies in a mini version of the iconic game "Doom" before time runs out, [according to *PCMag*](<https://in.pcmag.com/games/142844/tired-of-boring-captchas-this-developer-created-a-doom-themed-one>). It's pretty straightforward as far as gameplay is concerned — just point and shoot — and it's not exactly secure, but it's a whole lot better than squinting at blurry pictures to guess whether or not they have a stop sign in them.

By the way, you can [play it here](<https://vivirenremoto.github.io/doomcaptcha/>). As a warning, the authentic "Doom" music and sound effects are pretty loud so turn down your headphones first.

## PvC

A typical CAPTCHA involves more than a simple puzzle. They also require some way for the system to verify the user's answers to make sure they're not a bet. Because it basically plays like an old-school Flash game, the Doom CAPTCHA lacks that added layer of security.

"My CAPTCHA about Doom only validates from user-side (client)," Miquel Camps Orteza, the programmer behind the minigame, told *PCMag*. "There is no backend to a server to validate the user request. For \[someone\] who can code, they can see how easy it is to validate the CAPTCHA."

Instead of an [actual security tool](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/captchas-harder-ai-smarter>), the CAPTCHA was meant to be a showcase of Orteza's programming skills while he hunts for a job.

"I thought that maybe the CAPTCHA will catch the attention of some people and companies," he told *PCMag*. "Before this CAPTCHA, I did another one that forces you to do some squats before purchasing on Amazon using \[your PC's\] webcam."

**READ MORE:** [Tired of Boring CAPTCHAs, This Developer Created a Doom-Themed One](<https://in.pcmag.com/games/142844/tired-of-boring-captchas-this-developer-created-a-doom-themed-one>) \[*PCMag*\]

**More on Doom:** *[Artificial Intelligence Is Making Video Game Levels So Good That Even Other AI Thinks They’re Man-Made](<https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence-video-games>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)