Magic word

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Learning the magic word "XYZZY" in Adventure.

In video games, a magic word is a word or phrase that, when employed, grants the player some special access or ability. They were originally used in text adventures and typically function as a form of lock-and-key mechanic where the magic word acts as the key to an existing lock. The term is named after traditional magic words from antiquity like "abracadabra" or "hocus-pocus."

History

The earliest known magic words in a video game come from Adventure, released in 1976, which features the magic words: "XYZZY," "PLUGH," and "PLOVER." In the game, after the player learns one of these magic words, they may type them in and teleport to some other place in the game. The developer explained that he didn't put them in the original design of the game, but added them later as a way to expedite travel in the game, making them one of the first fast travel mechanics as well.

Due to the popularity of Adventure, many later games imitated the magic word mechanic. They appear in Scott Adams's Adventureland and Pirate Adventure and the Enchanter trilogy uses them a lot. This growth of popularity caused many later developers to pay homage to the mechanic by including magic words in their software as well as Easter eggs, so magic words shows up in many other games, programs, and even operating systems. The concept of magic words has since expanded beyond the text adventure and, to some extent, influenced cheat codes and Easter eggs. In many later games, players will learn a magic word, but their original implementation — actually requiring the user to type the word — mostly stayed relegated to text adventures.

Implementation

Magic words are pretty trivial to implement. The designer chooses the magic word they want to use and what the word will do. Perhaps it will unlock a door like the fabled "open sesame" or whisk the character away to another part of the map like "Xyzzy." Once designed, the programmer will write the necessary code which will be tied to the specific effect. How the player inputs the magic word changes depending on the game's input system. If the game allows text input, the player is usually expected to type in the word. A design decision must be made as to whether the player should be allowed to use the magic word before their character has learned about it in the game. If the game doesn't allow text input, the magic word might be added to a menu system or simply activated at the appropriate time.

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