Abusing DuckDB-WASM by making SQL draw 3D graphics (Sort Of)

Abusing DuckDB-WASM by making SQL draw 3D graphics (Sort Of) Sun Apr 20 2025 • duckdbsqlwasmdoom Back Building a SQL-Powered Doom Clone in the Browser I had this slightly crazy idea: Could I ditch most of the conventional JavaScript game loop and rendering logic and build a 3D game engine where SQL queries did the heavy lifting? Naturally, I decided to try building a primitive, text-based Doom clone to see how far I could push it using DuckDB-WASM. Spoiler: It kind of works, it was often painful, but I learned a ton about the surprising power (and quirks) of running an analytical database engine in the browser for tasks it was definitely not designed for. The Setup: SQL Isn't Just for SELECT * Anymore Forget managing game state in JavaScript objects or drawing pixels with Canvas/WebGL. My approach looked like this: The Database is the World: The 16x16 map, player coordinates ( x , y , dir ), enemy/bullet positions, game settings – everything lives in DuckDB tables, right there i ... Read full article.