It’s from video games. People started using it because you might have an optimal strategy but then people started using strategies to counter the optimal strategy. A meta strategy. It makes sense when you have PvP but it’s also used to indicate general strategy now. Meta might change if the game changes or if someone figures out a more optimal strategy. So it means “the currently perceived optimal strategy, taking into account other strategies”.
I’m pretty sure that form of meta doesn’t actually have anything to do with the prefix/adjective. In games it’s just an acronym for “most effective tactic available” i.e. in your example the first strategy would be called “the meta” until the second one came along.
edit: I realize you kinda mention acronym thing at the end of your comment. Not originating from the prefix “meta-” is my main point though.
This is the first I’ve ever heard of it being an acronym, and it seems unlikely to me. The origin was around tournaments where there was a degree of changing one’s own choices based on the likely match-ups you would face. E.g. for something like magic, if everyone is on a slower control deck, you can take advantage of metagame knowledge and run a aggro deck even if the cards are not quite as powerful in that card pool.
It’s from video games. People started using it because you might have an optimal strategy but then people started using strategies to counter the optimal strategy. A meta strategy. It makes sense when you have PvP but it’s also used to indicate general strategy now. Meta might change if the game changes or if someone figures out a more optimal strategy. So it means “the currently perceived optimal strategy, taking into account other strategies”.
Oh. So they just noun-ified the adjective. Neat. I like it.
I’m pretty sure that form of meta doesn’t actually have anything to do with the prefix/adjective. In games it’s just an acronym for “most effective tactic available” i.e. in your example the first strategy would be called “the meta” until the second one came along.
edit: I realize you kinda mention acronym thing at the end of your comment. Not originating from the prefix “meta-” is my main point though.
That’s absolutely not true. It’s a clever backronym, but not the origin of the term.
This is the first I’ve ever heard of it being an acronym, and it seems unlikely to me. The origin was around tournaments where there was a degree of changing one’s own choices based on the likely match-ups you would face. E.g. for something like magic, if everyone is on a slower control deck, you can take advantage of metagame knowledge and run a aggro deck even if the cards are not quite as powerful in that card pool.
Exactly!