meta? huh? how did this word become a thing?

[Train]

neither of those seems like meta game information, to me. there's no differentiation between the gamers and being in the game for that sort of game.

compare to a pen & paper RPG where the player knows the game mechanics but the character doesn't. the player knows exactly what it means to have a +5 vorpal sword of destiny, but the character only knows he's found some gleaming blade in a cave.

Not to be pedantic, but that's not meta. "+5 vorpal sword of destiny" is absolutely data, regardless of who knows it. What that +5 applies to (speed, damage, penis might?), is metadata.