Using Xyzzy
| Field | Computer games (text-based) |
| Went Obsolete | 1980s |
| Made Obsolete By | Graphical computer games |
| Knowledge Assumed | running ADVENT or Zork |
| When useful | While playing ADVENT |
“Xyzzy” is a magic word in the ADVENT and Zork text-based adventure computer games, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xyzzy for details.
It is also useful for testing the depth of knowledge of another computer geek: if they also know about “xyzzy”, either they are old enough to have played ADVENT or have a keen sense of history.
It was also a cheat-code built into the Windows 95 version of Minesweeper. Entering the code made the top-left pixel of the screen change color when hovering the mouse over a bomb.
It was also used as a recognised phrase in the text adventure game “Snowball”
