Claude Code Plugin Launches DOOM in Terminal While AI Thinks

A developer has released a Claude Code plugin that displays DOOM gameplay in the terminal while Claude processes prompts. Instead of staring at the loading spinner, users get an interactive ASCII art version of the classic game during wait times.

How It Works

The plugin uses doom-ascii, a source port of the original DOOM engine that renders entirely in terminal block characters. When you send a prompt to Claude, DOOM automatically pops up as a tmux overlay. When Claude finishes processing, the game dismisses itself. Send another prompt and it launches again.

The developer notes that completely injecting a playable game into Claude would be "difficult if not impossible" currently, so the solution uses tmux to create the overlay effect. The game is described as "genuinely (kinda) playable" despite the ASCII rendering constraints.

Technical Details

• Built as a Claude Code plugin
• Uses tmux for popup overlay functionality
• Based on doom-ascii (terminal-based DOOM source port)
• Automatically launches when Claude starts thinking
• Automatically dismisses when Claude finishes
• Available on GitHub for free use

The project was developed quickly with Claude's assistance, inspired by a similar DVD screensaver plugin that addressed the same issue of waiting for AI responses.