Metagame: Difference between revisions

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In a general sense, the term '''metagame''' refers to trends within how that game is played by its players, or a subset of its players. At any time, certain characters, strategies, tactics, tricks, skills, etc. may be popular. The metagame tends to evolve over time, as players adapt to it in order to gain an advantage, and then others adapt to these adaptations, and so on.
In gaming, a '''metagame''' refers to a set of commonly used strategies developed and employed by a competitive community. In competitive ''Smash'', "the metagame" usually refers to trends in strategy that appear in high-level tournament play, and these tactics are often the most influential. The metagame is not static; it evolves over time as players adapt to counter frequently used strategies, and new strategies are discovered or become popular.


For example, if Tactic A is popular within a gaming community, some players may choose to use Tactic B for the advantages it offers over Tactic A, even though Tactic B may be considered a poor choice in most other circumstances. Likewise, Tactic C, while usually strong, may be avoided because of its vulnerabilities to Tactic A. Eventually Tactic A may become less prominent as more players adapt to it. Tactic C may come back into vogue as a result, or an entirely new effective tactic may be discovered.
For example, suppose Tactic A is effective and popular within a gaming community, and Tactic B offers advantages over Tactic A, but is considered a poor choice in most other circumstances. Some players may employ Tactic B in response to Tactic A, creating a shift in strategy. Tactic C, while usually effective, may be avoided because of its vulnerabilities to Tactic A. Eventually, Tactic A may become less common, as more players begin to use Tactic B to counter it. As a result, Tactic C may then return as a common strategy, or an entirely new effective tactic may be discovered, creating another shift in strategy. These shifts are examples of the way in which the metagame progresses and develops over time.


The [[Super Smash Bros.]] metagame generally refers to high-level play, where competitors are more likely to change their character or style to improve the chances of winning. These changes occur a lot more frequently than in casual play, where a player may play any character, their favorite character, or in a style that is comfortable for them.
At the top level of play, "the metagame" can specifically refer to the the habits and skills of the highest performing players. These players focus on employing strategies to win against the small number of other top players who compete with them, as opposed to the trends among players who do not perform as well as they do.


At higher levels of play, the term "metagame" can have a more specific meaning and refer to the tendencies and proficiencies of the top players.  The best competitors don't need to know the trends among weaker players, but they do need to know how to overcome the handful of people who could potentially beat them.  In the Smash Community, the [[tier list]] has changed alongside the metagame of the best players and is influenced heavily by it.
Routine analysis of the metagame has allowed the community to draw conclusions about the relative performances of playable characters in ''Smash Bros'' games, and publish them in the form of character [[tier list]]s. Each tier list changes over time, alongside the development of the metagame it references, and is updated as significant changes occur.
 
[[Mindgames]] refer to variations within the metagame which distinguishes the players.


==See Also==
==See Also==
*[[Tier List]]
*[[Tier List]]
*[[Mindgames]]
*''[[Super Smash Bros. Metagame]]''
*''[[Super Smash Bros. Metagame]]''


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[[Category: Unofficial lingo]]
[[Category: Unofficial lingo]]

Revision as of 09:20, August 9, 2010

In gaming, a metagame refers to a set of commonly used strategies developed and employed by a competitive community. In competitive Smash, "the metagame" usually refers to trends in strategy that appear in high-level tournament play, and these tactics are often the most influential. The metagame is not static; it evolves over time as players adapt to counter frequently used strategies, and new strategies are discovered or become popular.

For example, suppose Tactic A is effective and popular within a gaming community, and Tactic B offers advantages over Tactic A, but is considered a poor choice in most other circumstances. Some players may employ Tactic B in response to Tactic A, creating a shift in strategy. Tactic C, while usually effective, may be avoided because of its vulnerabilities to Tactic A. Eventually, Tactic A may become less common, as more players begin to use Tactic B to counter it. As a result, Tactic C may then return as a common strategy, or an entirely new effective tactic may be discovered, creating another shift in strategy. These shifts are examples of the way in which the metagame progresses and develops over time.

At the top level of play, "the metagame" can specifically refer to the the habits and skills of the highest performing players. These players focus on employing strategies to win against the small number of other top players who compete with them, as opposed to the trends among players who do not perform as well as they do.

Routine analysis of the metagame has allowed the community to draw conclusions about the relative performances of playable characters in Smash Bros games, and publish them in the form of character tier lists. Each tier list changes over time, alongside the development of the metagame it references, and is updated as significant changes occur.

See Also

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