Metagame

The term “metagame” has varying connotations depending on the game you’re talking about. It etymologically means “outside of the game,” so it can be a bit vague to players new to fighting games. In Street Fighter, metagame can refer to several aspects of the game, but we’ll be focusing on the ones concerning competitive play. The most common uses of metagame in fighting-game vernacular are to describe optimal ways to win, player archetypes, character matchups, and tactics. For instance, if playing a conservative zoning style tends to win the most tournaments, you might hear someone say, “The meta currently favors Dhalsim and Ryu.” That would be an example of describing dominant characters in a particular era or tournament format. An example of metagame being used for specific tactics would be, “Wakeup reversals work more often than not in this meta since everyone is leaning toward using meaty setups.” Since fighting games are extremely diverse in strategy, the metagame can and will fluctuate often.