Incanus
Auror
Here are some quotes from TV tropes that seem to have some bearing on this subject:
Does it do anything, and if it does, is it ever actually used in story? If the answer to both is yes, it's a Plot Device, not a MacGuffin. For Plot Devices that get the same attention as a MacGuffin, compare Magnetic Plot Device.
Do not confuse with Plot Device. Please, don't.
MacGuffin: A plot device which nobody actually uses, and whose nature and identity are basically irrelevant.
I sort of take all this (sometimes contradictory stuff) to mean that all Macguffins are plot devices, but not all plot devices are Macguffins. Something like that anyway.
In the end, your response is the most appropriate, and I'll do it to: **shrug**
Does it do anything, and if it does, is it ever actually used in story? If the answer to both is yes, it's a Plot Device, not a MacGuffin. For Plot Devices that get the same attention as a MacGuffin, compare Magnetic Plot Device.
Do not confuse with Plot Device. Please, don't.
MacGuffin: A plot device which nobody actually uses, and whose nature and identity are basically irrelevant.
I sort of take all this (sometimes contradictory stuff) to mean that all Macguffins are plot devices, but not all plot devices are Macguffins. Something like that anyway.
In the end, your response is the most appropriate, and I'll do it to: **shrug**