metagames

Noun

metagame (countable and uncountable, plural metagames)

1. (countable) A game about games.
   • Nomic is a metagame in which players can modify the rules as part of gameplay.
2. 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.
   • 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...2012, Keith Burgun, Game Design Theory: A New Philosophy for Understanding Games, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 98
3. 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.

   Synonyms:

   meta

See all 4 meanings of metagame