NOTE: This is not a review - yet.

EXAMPLE 1: A SIMPLE EXAMPLE: CHICKTIONARY: FARM FRESH GOODNESS

The Magic Bullet can be illustrated using a simple game as an example. Chicktionary is a freely available online spelling game where players are given seven letters and the objective is to find as many words as possible using the seven letters given. As the name suggests, the game is chicken themed, with each letter shown written on a hen who produces an egg with the same letter on it when the user clicks on her. In this game, as in many short form puzzle games, the set of Can-Learn items and the set of Must-Learn items are essentially the same, so this game would be represented using Figure 4 above. Among the Must-Learn items are all the basic game controls, and in this game they are simple and well labeled. This also happens to be an example of a good learning game as the learning goals are thoroughly integrated into the Can-Learn and Must-Learn categories of the game. Unlike the next example, in this game it is virtually impossible to win by using a random choice strategy, but there are also many aspects of this game that make it fun and entertaining that are not highlighted by the model described here. The same is true of most games, so the Magic Bullet should not be the only tool used to assess a game. It is clear from this example that there can be no single ‘correct’ Magic Bullet configuration. The Magic Bullet configuration must be considered in context which includes the game’s genre and style as well as its target audience and intended use. However, knowing the ‘learning profile’ of a game gives us an important mechanism for discussing game design in a learning application.