Introduction to Meta
So you're playing and people are dropping the word "meta" a lot. You think you might understand, but you really don't.

Short answer is, unless you're talking about Semantics and Philosophy, you really shouldn't even be using that word. You can honestly look this up anywhere (except for LoL forums) to learn more.

I'll just tell you here, so you can spout to your friends that they are actually wrong, and using the word improperly. Then everyone can learn, and we can all be a happier group ^_^

What can have a "meta"?
ANYTHING can have a meta, and this brings it down to a near semantic, philosophic idea.

The meta of a thing is anything related to that and all ideas attached to it.

There is only ever 1 meta for each thing, and if something were to have different meta, then it would cease to be one thing and then become two. This is basically how philosophy works, and through meta-thought and discoveries that one thing is divided (much how Astronomy came from Astrology, or Chemistry came from Alchemy).

Where the line starts to get kind of blurring within the community is things like ARAM, SR, TT, and Dominion and even though each of these actually use the same basis for playing (controls and characters) the goals and other parts of it are different.

The game itself is balanced around Summoners Rift so the meta for League of Legends all there. There is no tanky DPS meta, or AP meta, or AD bot + Support, or Kill Lane metas, these are other ideas within the meta, which have a REALLY easy term to apply to them, called strategy, or composition strategy, which are based off the ideas of synergy champions have with one another.

Now, for that blurred line, the other parts of league, they are actually different games, and they have their own meta. So now we can sum it all up

So if I shouldn't use "meta" what should I say?
When people say meta, they usually mean strategy.

Another easy way to think of it is like folders on your computer, you're going to have your pictures in one folder and your written documents all in another folder but both of those folders are in the School Work folder.

Now apply that here:

Quote:



 League of Legends
 -Summoner's Rift Meta
 ----Summoner's Rift Strategies
 ------Radc Carry + Support bottom
 --------Ezreal + Taric
 --------Caitlyn + Blitzcrank
 --------etc
 ------Kill Lane Bottom
 ------Speed Jungler
 ------Tank Jungler
 ------AP Top
 ------Bruiser Top
 ------AP Tank(Mage) Mid
 ------AP mid
 ------etc
 
-Twisted Treeline Meta
 ----TT Strats
 
-Dominion Meta
 ----Dom Strats
 
ARAM Meta
 ----ARAM Strats

META-gaming:
Most people in competitive games are always metagaming, since the nature is competitive which is to find the best and quickest means to win, this actually comes naturally. Same note, buying items in that you'd not normally get but help against many or a few parts against the enemy is Meta-gaming. You are trying to think beyond their strat with your own strat.

However, in DnD
When you are metagaming, you are finding the most efficient way to win that YOU can think of, but your character would not be able to access that pool of knowledge even if you do.
Thats like playing a story based video game and even if YOU know something in the story that your character could not know it, you can access it just because you knew even if its not accessible (ie - your physically knowledge unlocks the virtual space of the game to get something) Hacking a video game code is also considered meta-gaming, but there are usually outside penalties provided by rules written somewhere that say if you do that, you will be punished or will lose access to a service. If I hack a DS/PSP game, I void the warranty instantly.

I hope this is something that people will soon understand and that you now understand it better.