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

vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
As in gaming "meta". AKA - trends that people flock to in the initial release of a game or new playing style.

Board games
Video games
ect...

I keep hearing about "the meta". How long has this word been used that way and where did it really start?
 
Can you give us some more context, it appears you are using the word in a different way than I usually see it used.

Usually meta means "about" something.

As in, if we decided to stop our conversation, to talk ABOUT the way we are conversing, perhaps rules or manners need to be clarified, that could be considered a "meta discussion".

In the tech space meta is often called "data about data" Like if you send me a spreadsheet with no column labels, I may not be sure what I am looking at. If you then tell me "oh first column is Foo in UTC and 2nd column is Bar in kilograms, and 3rd column cannot be negative values, etc" that is meta-data
 
Metagaming?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metagaming

vi edit said:
AKA - trends that people flock to in the initial release of a game or new playing style.
Click to expand...

Like the loot caves in Destiny? I guess it makes sense that people would figure out, publicize and flock to exploits for an advantage. Or, like, analyzing the economies that develop in MMORPGs, where some people will hoard a substance to create a shortage and inflate prices? Like the stock market in EVE online?
 
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Yeah meta gaming I guess. I've been getting into X-Wing miniature gaming (mini star wars ships...pew pew!!) and the online sites keep talking about "meta this" and "meta that". And I was looking over some Call of Duty forums and they started talking about "meta" builds. AKA the most common builds that tournament players are doing.

I've been on the intrawebs for a long time, and involved in gaming for a while and I had just never heard of that before. Was curious where it started and it's gaining traction as of late in different gaming circles.

Of course "meme" was a word around forever, and the internet has had them in place for ever. But only in the last couple years has it really become a household word.
 
vi edit said:
Call of Duty forums and they started talking about "meta" builds. AKA the most common builds that tournament players are doing.
Click to expand...

Okay, I've seen this too, like with forum discussion of character builds in Mass Effect. I think "meta" here is basically used as "the discussion/analysis of", by using one's knowledge of the game, for the sake of optimizing one's character.
 
ok, with regards to games, I've seen it used in StarCraft a lot.

Usually refers to the meta-game. Think of stepping up one level of abstraction from the game itself.

- Player uses new strategy X, it works well so everyone follows suit.
- Now everyone is using it so everyone expects it.
- Everyone learns to defend it.
- People stop using X because it's not effective anymore.
- a while after everyone has moved on, someone busts out X again, and it works.
- lolz, classic X

The ongoing rotation of strategies/styles can collectively be called "the meta game"
 
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TheVrolok said:
It's an incredibly old term, but those above have pretty much answered it.
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...have they?

I only know 'meta' as a standalone term from one place: fictional works. Generally film and TV.

Saying something is 'meta' is essentially saying it breaks the fourth wall.

edit: Contextual use- 'Yo, that Ferris Bueller is so meta, dawg.'
 
The meta of a game is the kind of inner game of the game. In league of legends or DOTA2, you have the latest additional champion, or maybe some heroes/champions got nerfed/buffed making a particular play style fall out of the meta and another play style emerges as more viable for the current update. Maybe a new type of champion is released that throws every current strategy for a loop and the whole game style shifts, it can be any number of things influencing the meta.

Counter strike global offensive meta is similar, recently the CZ-75 pistol got nerfed, it used to be an instant kill headshot automatic pistol that only cost $500, it was (before the patch) seen as a very over powered weapon for the price, high level competitive play would have an entire team of 5 buying all CZ-75's in the pistol/Eco rounds. Now after the nerf in the new update the CZ-75 is very ineffective, there are much better buy options for that price point. So the meta has shifted away from 5 man CZ-75 pistol rounds, it promotes using the TEC-9, the P250, the Deagle, or the Five-seven. Some people argue there should be more spots for wallbanging in CS:GO, more wall bang spots (shooting through thin walls) will drastically change the counter strike meta, new strategies will need to be thought up, new rotations, etc.

So while none of these things are the core games themselves, its another layer of information and mechanics that influence how the game will be played out.
 
Yeah I know meta is an old greek word. It's also a word that's been around for programming and database design for a long time. Meta tags, meta data, ect.

It's only as of late that I've seen it being used for gaming builds and was curious when it first started gaining popularity. I didn't do much starcraft back in the late 90's. Was it used then? Or was that a more recent thing with StarCraft 2?
 
you-dawg-i-heard-you-like-metadata-so-i-made-some-metadata-about-your-metadata-about-your-data.jpg
 
I think that's just a bunch of people seeing a word used in reference to gaming stuff and incorrectly assuming it's meaning.
 
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phucheneh said:
...have they?

I only know 'meta' as a standalone term from one place: fictional works. Generally film and TV.

Saying something is 'meta' is essentially saying it breaks the fourth wall.

edit: Contextual use- 'Yo, that Ferris Bueller is so meta, dawg.'
Click to expand...

In reference to gaming? Sure.
 
mnewsham said:
The meta of a game is the kind of inner game of the game. In league of legends or DOTA2, you have the latest additional champion, or maybe some heroes/champions got nerfed/buffed making a particular play style fall out of the meta and another play style emerges as more viable for the current update. Maybe a new type of champion is released that throws every current strategy for a loop and the whole game style shifts, it can be any number of things influencing the meta.

Counter strike global offensive meta is similar, recently the CZ-75 pistol got nerfed, it used to be an instant kill headshot automatic pistol that only cost $500, it was (before the patch) seen as a very over powered weapon for the price, high level competitive play would have an entire team of 5 buying all CZ-75's in the pistol/Eco rounds. Now after the nerf in the new update the CZ-75 is very ineffective, there are much better buy options for that price point. So the meta has shifted away from 5 man CZ-75 pistol rounds, it promotes using the TEC-9, the P250, the Deagle, or the Five-seven. Some people argue there should be more spots for wallbanging in CS:GO, more wall bang spots (shooting through thin walls) will drastically change the counter strike meta, new strategies will need to be thought up, new rotations, etc.

So while none of these things are the core games themselves, its another layer of information and mechanics that influence how the game will be played out.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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