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Why would you assume meta? Genuine question. I see "meta" used a lot in gaming and I always assumed the etymology for that was like it became shorthand for "met
by falsenapkin 4y ago
Why would you assume meta? Genuine question. I see "meta" used a lot in gaming and I always assumed the etymology for that was like it became shorthand for "meta discussion" and then the intention of "meta" became less about general discussion and more about whatever strats are most effective/popular, thus "the meta". I have no idea if that's accurate. Do other communities say "the meta" like that? If it is just a gaming thing then I can see why climbing would have a different word given the respective ages of the activities.
- tunap 4y agoThe granular data that is derived from usage in a digital world is what I likened it to. I had no idea if beta was in long term usage, as my AZ climbing circle never used the term in the 90's.
- splonk 4y agoI have often heard that the popularization of the "meta" term came as shorthand for the "metagame" of Magic:the Gathering in the late 90s, when the big tournaments like the Pro Tour came about. I do recall first coming across the term then, but I wouldn't care to make any definite claims about the actual etymology. Quick explanation for those not familiar: at an extremely simplified high level, MTG tournaments are a rock-paper-scissors game (with many more options). To some extent, part of the ability to play a tournament well is external to your ability to play MTG, and consists of your ability to predict the distribution of rocks/papers/scissors/etc in the field of players, and picking the appropriate countermeasure.