in the game

1. Actively participating in something (not necessary sports-related). Look, my first published short story! I'm in the game now, like a real writer! Do you want to get in the game as a serious politician, or not? I want to get in the game with investing, but I have no idea where to start.

2. In a position in a game in which winning is still attainable. Melissa's goaltending has kept us in the game so far—now it's time to get a goal and tie this thing up! Come on, we're only down by two goals—we're still in the game here! Yeah, you're never really in the game when your opponents put up eight goals in the first period.

3. At some point of progress or development. Usually used with "early" or "late." It's a little late in the game to be changing details of the contract, don't you think? They're due to be finalized in the morning! It's still a little early in the game to call their latest product a flop, though initial sales figures are certainly not encouraging. She became one of the most successful industry leaders early in the game, when the Internet was still just a nascent technology.