Meaning

(countable) A game about games..

Definitions by Sense

1. (countable) A game about games.
2. (countable, uncountable) The exploitation of the rules etc. of some other game, at a higher level than simply playing the game normally; a game outside or peripheral to the actual gameplay.
3. (countable, uncountable, video games) The conventions of a gaming community; the characters, weapons, techniques, etc, which are currently considered most viable in multiplayer gameplay, and the best practices for using them.
4. (roleplaying games) Of a roleplayer, to make use of knowledge while roleplaying that they learned out of character, which their character does not know; often considered a form of cheating.

Example Sentences

Nomic is a metagame in which players can modify the rules as part of gameplay.

The textual chessboard at the beginning of Through the Looking-Glass (1871) makes this crystal clear, establishing the whole book as a game—or maybe a metagame—that unfolds through the act of reading, each chapter corresponding to a “move” by Alice’s profoundly overwhelmed pawn.

But usually when people refer to the metagame, they mean things such as unlockables or customizable features. The problem with metagames is that they almost always damage the games they surround. […] Metagames also often create motivations that conflict with the inherent motivations of the core game.

The “real-life” activities of EVE community members are a striking example of when a game begins to evolve into another type of simulation. In this instance, the metagame becomes a kind of political simulation that starts to manifest itself more off the screen than it does within the virtual society.

Even before the box is open, the metagame has begun. The metagame is the drama unfolding between the players. The metagame involves manipulating the emotions of your opponents. The metagame gives you the feeling of triumph that comes from collaborative problem-solving.

But the thing with Elden Ring, as with all the Souls titles before it, is that the metagame – the stuff that goes on around the actual on-screen action – is as important as the game itself. This is an arcane, esoteric universe where players must work together on discord channels and message boards to figure out the best courses of action.

Word Forms

• metagames
• metagaming
• metagamed

Synonyms for metagame

Related Words

When Should You Use Metagame?

Use metagame when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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