Talk:League of Legends terminology/@comment-199.64.0.252-20110513212011/@comment-569195-20110513214645

Depending on which game you are playing. In cards it means to try and anticipate what your opponent thinks you are doing and counter it. Ie. because of the way i have been playing he will probably think i have a pair when in fact i have a full house. In Role Playing Games, meta gaming usually refers to using information from out side of the game that your character would not have to make decisions. Ie. you know that x monster is vulnerable to Y type of attack even though your character has never encountered that monster before.

In LoL the meta game should referer to the external elements of the game such as rune selection and masteries, summoner level, who to ban to counter the opposing team, what champs to choose to build your own team. In this case the game itself is the actual play, controlling your character to kill enemies and take towers.

However, most people in LoL use the meta game to also refer to common strategies currently being employed by the majority of the community. Eg, EU's metagame tends to put a ranged carry with a support in the bottom lane. I think this is more strategy than metagame myself. I think meta game actually refers to a game within a game.