ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Metagame analysis

Metagame analysis is like figuring out what people usually do when they play games. Let's say you and your friends like to play a game where you take turns saying words that start with the same letter. You might notice that your friend always says the same word when it's their turn. That's their strategy, and it's part of the metagame.

If you watch other people play the game, you might notice that everyone has their own strategy or way of playing. Metagame analysis is when you pay attention to all those different strategies and figure out which ones are the strongest or most effective. It's like trying to figure out the rules of the game within the game.

In more complicated games, like video games or sports, metagame analysis can get really complicated. You might have to watch a lot of games, read forums or guides, and talk to other players to figure out what the best strategies are. But the basic idea is always the same: you're trying to understand how people play the game so you can play it better yourself.