Meta is like other prefixes. It is an ancient Greek word which means “beyond,” “after,” or “behind.” The term, meaning “beyond”, is not frequently used by the people, but it is present in common words like metaphysics, meta-economy, etc.
The meaning of meta is best described by the formula “meta-X means X about X”. For example, if we add the prefix “meta” to the word “data”, then the word becomes “metadata” which means data about data. If we add meta to the word text, the word becomes metatext meaning, text about the text, metacognition is thinking about thinking, and metajoke is a joke about a joke. The term meta is used to denote something that is self-reflective or self-referencing.
In art, the self-referential meaning of meta appears to be popular. A book, in which a character is writing a book, or a movie in which a character is filming a movie can be considered example of meta art. When characters in a story act as though they are aware that they are in a story, this is known as meta-referencing. Metafiction is a type of fiction in which the author breaks conventions to indicate that the work is, in fact, fiction.
Meta can be used in two ways when it comes to gaming. It can either be used as an acronym for the “most effective tactics available” or can mean that it is an effective way to achieve the goal of the game. Achieving the goal can either mean beating the player or beating the game itself. Meta can also stand for metagame, which refers to the use of information about a game gained from outside the game or its rules in order to affect the game’s outcome or gain a competitive advantage.
