Metagames, paragames and orthogames: a new vocabulary

Abstract

The term 'metagaming' is widely used to describe a variety of conceptually difficult activities associated with game play. This wide use has lead to a conceptual overload of the term, mitigating its potential use for game studies. This paper will suggest two new terms to use, 'orthogame and 'paragame', in conjunction with a more clearly defined notion of 'metagame'. We argue that these new terms have the potential to be highly useful for defining and understanding peripheral play activities common in modern digital games. We apply this new vocabulary to a variety of play practices in EVE Online to illustrate its strength for analysing and defining play practices.