you don’t need to be in a higher level to be meta X.
A meta language is a language. It’s just a language that talks about language.
In the same way, the meta game is the fact of playing against your opponents not in the game, but out of the game while still being linked to the game. Since preparation gives a huge benefit everybody knows that a good preparation is the key to victory.
If a game is a set of rules that allow you to interact and places you with a goal, then meta gaming is the game that allows you to prepare for instances of that game, against opponent with the same ability to prepare in the same game. When you fit your ship you are not fighting : you are preparing to fight.
BTW a real meta game is a “game about game”, eg like indy dev simulator. THE meta game refers to people preparing - but also propaganda, and any action that can be taken IRL in order to get an edge in the game, like asking people to bully someone else.
Alliance activity, eg on discord, is mainly meta game. In most competitive games, the meta game is the most important. So yes it’s taken such an important place that people often don’t understand the difference between the game and the meta game. But why would they care ?