What's the metagame? Let's look at the definition according to that most reliable of sources wikipedia:
Metagaming is any strategy, action or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed ruleset, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. Another definition refers to the game universe outside of the game itself.
And the metagame has come to our forums. Indeed, it's probably been here for quite a while, but it's openly in play now.
The only group currently on Elite: Dangerous that actually has any idea how this works is obviously GoonFleet. Let's have a look at what they're doing.
Here's the opening salvo: Announcing their non-affiliated News Network. That has nothing to do with GoonFleet whatsoever.
This announces their presence, because even the most unaware don't believe that someone unaffiliated would run a 'news' channel on their events. Until this post, most players probably weren't aware of their presence. Or even aware they were here. Or even cared.
You'll also notice that most people who come into threads like this and this one and defend the Goons from criticism are new members, Harmless and Mostly Harmless ranked at the time of their post. They're GoonFleet. Or most of them are. This mass defense of GoonSwarm by a lot of posters makes them look alright. It's forum warfare 101. 'We're not the bad guys you think we are!' And with all these people saying so it must be true?
Don't believe us: Here have a shiny event where we give away free stuff to show we're nice.
Cue this event: It went down last night and has been a great success. So now people are thinking Goons are probably alright after all.
What is amusing to me is one of the very first acts of GNN was classic GoonFleet, again using out of game stuff to further their agenda.
<Removed post as naming and shaming> on imgur is classic Goon. Public humiliation of a guy who just doesn't have the experience of dealing with them. This post pretty much caused the dissolution of his group. He wasn't in the right at all, but basically because he didn't know to keep his mouth shut and not let the Goons Goad him into anger. Of course this was also all released publicly [video=youtube;CDr-z-5yVpI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDr-z-5yVpI#t=128[/video].
So that's the metagame. Using the forums, twitter, youtube (and others like their twitch I was watching last night) to further your goal. And the only people playing it competently right now are the Goons. But they have a lot of experience.
Addendum: Yes, I know I know, I'm a notorious goon-hater. I spit on Goons. Except the ones I like. Their Ambassador's surname is one of my favourite whiskeys though damnit. But this post is NOT meant as a criticism of them. I do that often enough anyway, but since they're the only real example of good metagaming going on right now it outlines how things work really well.
Metagaming is any strategy, action or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed ruleset, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. Another definition refers to the game universe outside of the game itself.
And the metagame has come to our forums. Indeed, it's probably been here for quite a while, but it's openly in play now.
The only group currently on Elite: Dangerous that actually has any idea how this works is obviously GoonFleet. Let's have a look at what they're doing.
Here's the opening salvo: Announcing their non-affiliated News Network. That has nothing to do with GoonFleet whatsoever.
This announces their presence, because even the most unaware don't believe that someone unaffiliated would run a 'news' channel on their events. Until this post, most players probably weren't aware of their presence. Or even aware they were here. Or even cared.
You'll also notice that most people who come into threads like this and this one and defend the Goons from criticism are new members, Harmless and Mostly Harmless ranked at the time of their post. They're GoonFleet. Or most of them are. This mass defense of GoonSwarm by a lot of posters makes them look alright. It's forum warfare 101. 'We're not the bad guys you think we are!' And with all these people saying so it must be true?
Don't believe us: Here have a shiny event where we give away free stuff to show we're nice.
Cue this event: It went down last night and has been a great success. So now people are thinking Goons are probably alright after all.
What is amusing to me is one of the very first acts of GNN was classic GoonFleet, again using out of game stuff to further their agenda.
<Removed post as naming and shaming> on imgur is classic Goon. Public humiliation of a guy who just doesn't have the experience of dealing with them. This post pretty much caused the dissolution of his group. He wasn't in the right at all, but basically because he didn't know to keep his mouth shut and not let the Goons Goad him into anger. Of course this was also all released publicly [video=youtube;CDr-z-5yVpI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDr-z-5yVpI#t=128[/video].
So that's the metagame. Using the forums, twitter, youtube (and others like their twitch I was watching last night) to further your goal. And the only people playing it competently right now are the Goons. But they have a lot of experience.
Addendum: Yes, I know I know, I'm a notorious goon-hater. I spit on Goons. Except the ones I like. Their Ambassador's surname is one of my favourite whiskeys though damnit. But this post is NOT meant as a criticism of them. I do that often enough anyway, but since they're the only real example of good metagaming going on right now it outlines how things work really well.
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