- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Coaching Changes
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
When did “the meta” become a thing?
Posted on 8/29/24 at 8:20 pm
Posted on 8/29/24 at 8:20 pm
Im an OG gamer and keep up with lingo and whatnot and understand contextually what it means in that it’s the “best practice, fastest, easiest” way…
We always just figured that shite out and it became “the way”
We always just figured that shite out and it became “the way”
6
Posted on 8/29/24 at 8:29 pm to yankeeundercover
“The meta” has been a thing as long as competitive player vs player gaming has existed. However, the term really gained popularity when online gaming became commonplace in the 2000’s.
This post was edited on 8/30/24 at 10:32 am
Posted on 8/29/24 at 8:50 pm to yankeeundercover
quote:
We always just figured that shite out and it became “the way”
Kind of. Think about all the tips and tricks you picked up from the kids in the neighborhood growing up.
Now imagine that your neighborhood has a billion people in it.
When you combine that with the fact that most games now have different “build” possibilities, you end up with the vast majority of people playing games mostly the same way, no matter how many options they might have.
Posted on 8/29/24 at 9:31 pm to Joshjrn
Right, but when did they name it “meta”?
Posted on 8/29/24 at 9:42 pm to yankeeundercover
quote:
Right, but when did they name it “meta”?
I honestly couldn’t pinpoint the start of the term. It’s just a shortening of meta gaming, or gaming the game. But at its core, it’s no different than power gaming, min/maxing, etc.
Posted on 8/29/24 at 10:20 pm to yankeeundercover
It’s short for “most effective tactics available” it’s always been a thing whether single or multiplayer. It just got a “cool” little nickname at some point. It’s dumb as shite to me because so many people think it’s the only way you should play any game. I don’t game all that much anymore but when I do it’s to have fun, not do the exact carbon copy of what’s good at the time.
Posted on 8/29/24 at 10:28 pm to yankeeundercover
It's been around in MTG and Pokemon forever 
Posted on 8/30/24 at 1:06 am to yankeeundercover
quote:
When did “the meta” become a thing
since magazines started putting tips and tricks in writing, before the internet.
Posted on 8/30/24 at 2:01 am to yankeeundercover
The meta is short for "meta-game", it's the strategy surrounding the game, mostly before the individual games even start.
If you're asking when the term entered common vernacular in the gaming world, I would say there was an explosion of it around Hearthstone, so about 2014.
Understanding which decks were popular was a big consideration into which decks you wanted to play.
How well you did was not only based on how well you played the game, but how well you understood and adjusted to the "meta-game"
The rise of serious e-sports and game theory, combined with streamers using the once obscure term, made it take off.
If you're asking when the term entered common vernacular in the gaming world, I would say there was an explosion of it around Hearthstone, so about 2014.
Understanding which decks were popular was a big consideration into which decks you wanted to play.
How well you did was not only based on how well you played the game, but how well you understood and adjusted to the "meta-game"
The rise of serious e-sports and game theory, combined with streamers using the once obscure term, made it take off.
This post was edited on 8/30/24 at 2:03 am
Posted on 8/30/24 at 2:04 am to BoogerNuts
quote:
It’s short for “most effective tactics available”
Na, that might be a good acroynm for it, but it's short of meta-game which is a game theory concept.
Posted on 8/30/24 at 8:41 am to yankeeundercover
quote:
Im an OG gamer and keep up with lingo and whatnot and understand contextually what it means in that it’s the “best practice, fastest, easiest” way…
We always just figured that shite out and it became “the way”
It's been that way for at least 10-15 years. A grandfather of it in RPGs was (and may still be) "min/maxxing".
Posted on 8/30/24 at 10:19 am to Bard
Typically, min/maxing is for single player games, and meta is for multiplayer. Min/maxing is figuring out how best to utilize the game’s mechanics to maximize your advantages. Meta is all about scheming against your opponent.
Think of it this way: min/maxing in football is recruiting the best available players to fit your scheme, figuring out what players best fit each position on the field, and creating an offensive and defensive strategy that plays best to the strengths of your team. Meanwhile, meta is reviewing your opponent’s game film to scheme against their specific strategies and players. Min/maxing is utilizing a 3/4 defense because you don’t have enough big guys to play defensive line, but you have some slightly smaller quick guys who can rush or drop into coverage. Meta is utilizing your middle linebacker as s spy because the opposing qb is mobile and tends to scramble if his read isn’t there.
Think of it this way: min/maxing in football is recruiting the best available players to fit your scheme, figuring out what players best fit each position on the field, and creating an offensive and defensive strategy that plays best to the strengths of your team. Meanwhile, meta is reviewing your opponent’s game film to scheme against their specific strategies and players. Min/maxing is utilizing a 3/4 defense because you don’t have enough big guys to play defensive line, but you have some slightly smaller quick guys who can rush or drop into coverage. Meta is utilizing your middle linebacker as s spy because the opposing qb is mobile and tends to scramble if his read isn’t there.
Posted on 8/30/24 at 3:17 pm to kingbob
I like to think I brought the meta of the AN-94 to battlefield 3. Hardly anyone ever used it but then they saw I was going 50-2 in Metro and asked how.
Posted on 9/2/24 at 1:59 pm to kingbob
quote:
Typically, min/maxing is for single player games, and meta is for multiplayer.
Minmaxing is picking 5 LeBron James for your basketball team
Metagaming is spray painting the N Word on LeBron’s house so he’s so pissed he plays like shite
Posted on 9/5/24 at 11:45 pm to StansberryRules
quote:
Na, that might be a good acroynm for it, but it's short of meta-game which is a game theory concept.
No, while metagaming is certainly a thing and refers to playing the game that surrounds a game, in this case "meta" actually is an acronym for "most effective tactic available." It specifically describes the most overpowered way to set up your build, or to play the game in question, in a player-vs-player environment.
Posted on 9/6/24 at 2:36 am to TheTideMustRoll
That’s the first time I’ve heard that.
The whole meta game popped up after people adopted the term metadata, which seemed silly and redundant…considering its translation is effectively just data inside data.
I suspect that’s where the gaming genealogy originated for reference to a game within the game.
The whole meta game popped up after people adopted the term metadata, which seemed silly and redundant…considering its translation is effectively just data inside data.
I suspect that’s where the gaming genealogy originated for reference to a game within the game.
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News