Affordance
Definition: The degree to which a game element visually or behaviorally suggests its function or how the player should interact with it.
Example (Game/Scenario): In Portal, a glowing portal surface signals it’s usable. In Overwatch, flying heroes like Pharah afford the idea that you should shoot her down — it’s visually obvious.
Strategic Inertia
Definition: The tendency of players or teams to stick with familiar strategies or compositions even when the situation changes or counterplay becomes available.
Example (Game/Scenario): In League of Legends, teams may keep playing scaling comps even after nerfs or when enemy team drafts early aggression — out of habit or comfort, not logic.
Unpunished Power
Definition: A situation where a character or strategy is only strong because opponents fail to counter it, not because it’s inherently overpowered.
Example: A Black Panther going unchecked in Marvel Rivals feels oppressive, but mainly because players aren’t swapping or adapting — not because BP is mathematically dominant.
Perceived Invulnerability
Definition: When a hero/strategy feels unbeatable due to poor readability or lack of obvious counterplay, even if real counters exist.
Example: Zed feels unkillable to mid-elo players because they don’t recognize or time his ability windows — not because he has no counterplay.
Information Asymmetry
Definition: A mismatch in what players know or perceive — often leading to one side having an advantage not due to skill, but due to lack of awareness or understanding.
Example: In StarCraft, fog of war creates deliberate asymmetry. In MOBAs, a stealth hero like Evelynn preys on lower-elo players who don’t track vision or timers.
Counterplay Visibility
Definition: How clearly the game communicates that a counter exists and how to execute it.
Example: It’s easy to know you need to shoot Pharah in Overwatch, but less obvious how to stop Sombra from hacking your backline.
Meta Dependency / Ecosystem Power
Definition: A character or tactic’s strength is not inherent, but dependent on what else is popular in the meta — who their counters or partners are.
Example: Reinhardt becomes viable in Overwatch not when he’s buffed, but when his counters (like Pharah or Junkrat) fall out of favor.
Tyranny of the Viable
Definition: When players are forced into playing only what’s “meta” to stay competitive, even if it’s not enjoyable — reducing diversity and expression.
Example: In many competitive shooters, when one gun or loadout dominates ranked play, it crowds out creative or off-meta options.
Dominance Trap
Definition: A design flaw where one option is always the best, making alternatives obsolete — not because they’re bad, but because one thing is too good in all scenarios.
Example: If a single tank in a game always provides the best engage, peel, and sustain, there’s no reason to pick others — they’re trapped out of relevance.
Mechanical Taxation
Definition: When a hero/character has high execution difficulty that “taxes” the player — not by power level, but by demanding perfection.
Example: Widowmaker in Overwatch or Apex Legends’ Valkyrie — high payoff, but only if your mechanics are top-tier.
Agency Deprivation
Definition: When a player feels like they have no meaningful choices or impact due to crowd control, oppressive zoning, or overly dominant mechanics.
Example: Getting permastunned in League or silenced/chained in Dota 2 — the fight is happening, but you’re just watching.
Meta
It’s a social and strategic phenomenon, not a math truth.
A character/strat is “meta” when:
It is prevalent in competitive or high-level play
It has a high win rate or pick rate
The community recognizes it as dominant or necessary
It often warps the game around it (forces mirrors, bans, counters, etc.)