3. Metagame: an alternative solution to platform limitations

“The game that is the universe of games, metagame”

Metagame is a concept involving one or more metas that integrate multiple games and game services into a single, massive game service. In gaming, the well-known concept of the term “meta” refers to overarching strategies or trends that dominate specific content, updates, or periods. For example, in CCG/TCG, depending on updates, a “big deck” strategy utilizing powerful high-cost units over a build-up period may be advantageous, or conversely, a “minion rush” strategy which focuses on mass-producing low-cost units may prevail. Metas can be provided by developers or generated by users. Although no single strategy is always superior, the meta collectively defines a game that transcends individual content and dominates a given period.

A game platform is a two-sided market where many games and gamers converge to produce outcomes. At first glance, it seems only natural to expect significant growth if these large groups of gamers are unified into a single audience group. However, upon closer inspection, both the game companies(suppliers) and gamers(consumers) are divided into various groups organized around individual or categorical games. Within the same genre, games compete to attract more gamers, while gamers of a particular genre have no reason to try games from other genres. Rather than fostering interoperability, the platform tends to generate conflict of interest where each party seeks to protect its own benefit rather than share them.

Ultimately, even if platforms may appear similar in structure, if the games are not competing with one another, it becomes much more natural for them to be offered together as a unified service. This also reduces resistance for games to unite and share tokenomics and asset interoperability within a single economic system via alignment of interest, forming a unified community. To achieve this, diverse games must be simultaneously serviced, and users must have natural incentives to try different genres of games or new releases. By assembling and injecting the necessary meta into this unified world, the metagame can effectively deliver game services on a scale comparable to successful platforms.