meta gaming
Beyond the rules
Meta gaming is playing a game based on knowledge or strategies external to the game's internal logic—information your character wouldn't have, or tactics derived from understanding game mechanics rather than the fictional situation.
In tabletop RPGs, a player who attacks an NPC because they recognize the monster type from a rulebook is meta gaming.
In competitive games, meta gaming means exploiting the current dominant strategies: The meta game shifted after the patch.
The shortened form meta often stands alone: What's the meta right now?
- metagamingExploiting out-of-world awareness
- fourth wallInvisible stage-audience barrier
- exploitingUsing selfishly for benefit
- min-maxingOptimizing character builds strategically
- munchkinDiminutive person, affectionately
cheese · strategy · loopholes · edge case · tabletop · RPG · dungeon master · character death · table talk · reading the room · rules lawyer · optimization · broken · unfair · competitive · abuse · mechanics · out-of-character