The meta, also known as the meta gamin, is an essential aspect of competitive gaming that can refer to various things depending on the game you’re playing. In esports, casters and developers are increasingly utilizing the term to describe powerfully or overpowered in matches.
In a nutshell, meta refers to characters, equipment, or weapons more potent than others in a game. It could be a reference to champions in League of Legends that are more powerful than others or cards in Hearthstone that broke or were famous at the time.
Origins and meaning of Meta Gaming
Throughout history, the term “meta” has had a variety of connotations. Nigel Howard, an English professor, was the first to establish meta gaming theory in the 1960s. He developed the theory based on strategic games and war, and it discussed how players would endeavor to achieve their objectives and goals using the best available possibilities.
A tweak in the rules or functions of a game to optimize the enjoyment of play is another definition. When players adjust or make up rules for board games, they can enjoy the game in their unique way.
However, in video games, meta gaming has its meaning, depending on which game you’re playing. In video games, the metagame refers to the use of the most potent characters or items at the time to find the best and shortest path to victory.
What is “meta” in terms of gaming?
Said technique is seen as the most effective way to win/perform well in a specific task. Some have characterized Meta as an acronym for “most effective strategies available.” Metas have changed the way we think about conventional and modern online gaming, and they’ve had a massive impact on the industry, especially in esports. Metas can range from selecting a specific character to playing in a specific manner. They direct and mold the way people play games.
Example
Metas may be found practically everywhere in competitive gaming, in all forms. For example, League of Legends, one of the most popular online competitive games in the world. Since its inception, League has been known to have a meta. The meta evolved alongside the game as it expanded, changed, and flowed.
Hearthstone, a fantasy card game developed by Blizzard Entertainment, is another example. Hearthstone allows users to create custom decks from a set of 30 cards. These cards can work so well together in a deck that it makes them far more potent than other possibilities, earning it the title of “meta.” Metas exist even in highly tactical first-person shooters.
A meta deals with every facet of an online game. When it comes to changing a game, this implies that developers must consider everything. For example, if Riot wishes to buff a League of Legends item, they must consider the following:
A)What this item accomplishes and how much of a boost it needs.
B)What champions are involved in the construction of this item, and how powerful are they?
C) What effect will this have on champions that are countered by the item?
D) Will this item alter the game’s pacing or cause players to lose their usual understanding of the game?
What is power creep in meta gaming?
“Power creep” occurs when something in a video game becomes meta/firm due to changes in the environment. In other words, if an entity does not change immediately but becomes stronger somehow, this is referred to as “power creep.” Power creep is a constant challenge to developers in maintaining the game’s balance in all aspects. A balanced team is frequently implemented by companies and teams that are large enough to hire one. This group investigates the impact of a buff or nerf on an entity on the game as a whole.
Define the term “Meta slave” in meta-gaming?
The term “meta” has spawned a plethora of slang in the gaming community. The term “meta slave” refers to a player that will only follow the meta, resulting in them playing the same thing, in the same way, every time.
How is the meta represented in games?
Every game with a competitive element contains a meta. The title, on the other hand, influences how players characterize the meta.
The community builds tier lists in fighting games like Super Smash Bros. or Street Fighter to rank the strongest to worst characters. In this case, the meta comes from players using the most notable characters to win tournaments, such as the iconic Bayonetta metagame in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
The metagame refers to the strongest decks in the current set of Hearthstone, Blizzard’s famous online card game. Many traditional card games, such as Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic the Gathering, are the same way.
For years to come, the metagame will be a feature of competitive gaming, so keep a watch on each game’s tier lists, competitive ladders, and player debates as you work your way to the top.
Among Us, how does meta gaming work?
Metagaming appears in a variety of forms in Among Us. It can sometimes be as simple as announcing a task verifying your innocence and requesting the rest of the crew to confirm it with you. Other times, it can entail using specific data in a novel way, such as keeping track of who shows up for everyday activity and whether or not the taskbar climbs up when they complete it.
Other forms of metagaming encourage players to play in a specific way, such as traveling across the map in small groups or avoiding specific regions unless they have allies. Metagaming, in general, refers to any change in how players play to improve their chances of winning.
So, in Among Us, is meta gaming a bad thing?
The main problem with claiming that metagaming improves or degrades is that everyone defines what constitutes metagaming. Is it metagaming to stand outside of electrical and wait for a few more people to arrive? Is calling an emergency meeting while the taskbar is nearly full metagaming? What if you questioned suspects about specific jobs they may or may not have completed?
Rules cause more difficulties than they solve, and they have the unintended consequence of making the game more complex over time. Instead, merely asking your playgroup to refrain from performing certain activities, such as inquiring about specific task problems or using a buddy system throughout the map, can go a long way.
Conclusion
Meta gaming is a term used in role-playing games, which describes a player’s use of real-life knowledge concerning the state of the game to determine their character’s actions when a said character has no relevant knowledge or awareness under the circumstances. So, Rules create more problems than they solve, and they have the unintended consequence of increasing the game’s difficulty over time.
