Metagame
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A metagame is a game about a game, or an approach to playing a game. A metagame can serve a broad range of purposes, tied to the way a game relates to various aspects of life.[1]: 2,14 [2]
In competitive games, the metagame can refer to the most popular strategy, often called a game's meta, or preparation for a match in general.[3]
In tabletop role-playing game, metagaming has been used to describe players discussing the game, sometimes simply rules discussions and other times causing the characters they control to act in ways they normally would not within the story.[4]
Etymology
The word metagame is composed of the
Casual gaming
In
Competitive gaming
In the world of
This usage is particularly common in games that have large, organized play systems or tournament circuits. Some examples of this kind of environment are tournament scenes for tabletop or computer collectible card games like
The meta in these environments is often affected by new elements added by the game's developers and publishers, such as new card expansions in card games, or adjustments to character abilities in online games.[10] The metagame may also come within player communities as reactions to win over currently-popular strategies, creating ebbs and flows of strategy types over time.
Metagaming and cheating
In competitive games, more pervasive forms of metagaming like teaming in free-for-all multiplayer games can be interpreted as
In esports
Exploiting the meta is commonplace in esports.[3] In StarCraft, a player's previous matches with the same opponent have given them insight into that player's play style and may cause them to make certain decisions which would otherwise seem inferior. Another instance of using the meta in esports was in 2012 at The International, a Dota 2 competition, when one team was able to exploit "predictable, economical strategies and that summer's metagame, the in-game decisions and team configurations that were fashionable" to counter a play by the other team.[1]: 215
In fighting games, the meta is also played through character selection. The opposing character has various strengths that can be avoided and weaknesses that can be exploited more easily depending on the character you choose provided you are aware of those strengths and weaknesses (called a "match up"). For a basic example, a character with a projectile attack has the advantage over a grappler who must be close to the opponent to be effective. Match up metagaming is very important in tournament settings. In recent fighting games, blind select has been implemented for online modes. This makes it so that neither player can see what character the other player chose. In tournaments, players have the option to opt for a blind select where they tell a judge in confidence the character they intend to select in the match, making their character choice mandatory. A newer trend in more recently released titles is to allow the selection of multiple characters at once which the player can then switch between on the fly, rendering match-up picking excessively hard and virtually impractical.
In trading card games
In popular
In chess
This article possibly contains original research. (August 2023) |
Competitive chess has a well-defined meta in the form of chess openings and chess schools. A particular example are hypermodern openings. They became popular after World War I as high-ranked players like Aron Nimzowitsch started to play them.
A popular off-meta is to play
More narrowly, the playing history (meta) of a player or small group of players can be used to gain an advantage. A scholar's mate is a special set of moves can allow a player to win in four moves, usually by and against beginners. An example where this meta can be exploited by the opponent is as follows: competitor A has been watching Competitor B play chess, and the past five games in a row Competitor B has attempted to use this four-move win. When Competitor A sits down to play against Competitor B, Competitor A can play in a way to give them an advantage, assuming Competitor B repeats this line.
In tabletop games
In tabletop role-playing games, metagaming can refer to aspects of play that occur outside of a given game's fictional universe. In particular, metagaming often refers to having an in-game character act on knowledge that the player has access to, but the character should not. For example, having a character bring a mirror to defeat Medusa when they are unaware her gaze can petrify them, or being more cautious when the game is run by a merciless gamemaster.
Some consider metagaming to benefit oneself bad sportsmanship.
Game development
The metagame for game developers refers to the extra set of rules and logic that are independent to the core gameplay. This can involve extra progressions or economic market within the game that add mid- and long-term goals to players. Some researchers argue that having a metagame for players can increase engagement of those games.[20]
See also
- Bluff (poker)
- Thinking outside the box
- Calvinball
- Emergent gameplay
- Metagame analysis
- Metagaming (book)
- Mornington Crescent
- Nomic
- Pervasive game
- Poietic Generator
- Prisoner's dilemma
References
- ^ ISBN 9781452954158.
- ^ Gamasutra. Archived from the originalon February 27, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g Kokkinakis. "Metagaming and metagames in Esports". International Journal of Esports.
- ^ a b Senna, Manuel (2016). "Metadiscourse in Collaborative Narrative Construction" (PDF). Kwansei Gakuin University Humanities Review.
- Mental Health Research Institute. 1956. p. 240.
- ^ Howard, Nigel (1966). "Metagame Analysis in Political Problems". Papers, Volumes 6-9. Peace Science Society (International). pp. 50–63.
- ^ A Model Study of the Escalation and De-escalation of Conflict, Volume 1. University of Pennsylvania Management Science Center. 1967. pp. 52–86.
- Operations Research Society of America. 1967.
- ^ a b "Proving Grounds: The Geography of the MOBA Map". The Meta. 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ Von Allen, Eric (December 15, 2016). "Pros react to Dota 2 Patch 7.00". ESPN. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ a b "What Is Metagaming? [A Beginner-Friendly Guide]". Techjury. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ "What is a metagame and why use it | Adjust". www.adjust.com. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ Garfield, Richard (1995), Lost in the Shuffle: Games Within Games
- ^ Miller, John Jackson (2003), Scrye Collectible Card Game Checklist & Gaylord, p. 17.
- ^ Kelemen, Luci (2023-01-29). "What is the Bongcloud Attack in chess?". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
- ^ "Five Types of Troublesome Players – and How to Deal With Them". Mythcreants. 2014-04-18. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ OCLC 1090499786.
- ^ )
- ^ Edwards, Ron (2001). "Chapter Three: Stance". GNS and Other Matters of Role-Playing Theory. The Forge. Retrieved 2006-06-27.
- ^ Brandstater, Nadav. "Council Post: Meta-Game: The Game Beyond The Game — And The Key To Fueling Engagement". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-02-08.