METAGAME 2025
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A conference about game design, strategy, narrative, and play. Join us September 12-14 in Berkeley, California.
What is Metagame?
Metagame is a weekend conference devoted to games. We mean games in the broadest sense of the word: any experience that is designed to be played, as opposed to passively consumed. This includes board games, card games, videogames, tabletop games, LARPs, puzzles, rock climbing routes, and more. If building it involves asking the question "what would the consumer of this experience choose to do next?", it's a game.
My guess is the event will lean extremely toward the "communal, chaotic, unconference-y" end of the professionalism spectrum, with a lot of the [sessions? experiences? internal plot devices?] designed by attendees.
This is not a 🟡coincidence, because nothing is ever a 🟡coincidence.
Run something
Need a weirdly shaped space to build a gradient descent themed escape room? Want to run a game design tournament where you provide the board and pieces and contestants come up with the rules? Looking for hundreds of willing subjects for a social deception experiment that isn't quite ready for prime time?
Metagame is the conference for you.
Schedule
Times, locations, content, hosts, and the fundamental fabric of reality all subject to change.
Friday (2025-09-12)Friday2025-09-12
Speakers
Sponsors
Headline
Gold
Silver
Grab a ticket!
Player
Full access to the event, including participating in the megagame
$580
Day Pass
Day pass (select day)
$150-250
Volunteer
Volunteer for 1-6 shifts for a free or reduced price ticket. May preclude participation in the megagame.
$0+
Sliding Scale
Player tickets at a pay-what-you-can rate
- We also have a financial aid program with further price reductions available. Apply here by 9/1.
$290-580
Student
Student ticket
$275
Supporter
We will name a game after you
$2048
Sound fun? Want to take part?
Thinking about sponsoring us, or maybe partnering with us? Something else in mind?