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A gamemaster ( GM; also known as game master, game manager, game moderator, referee, storyteller, or master of ceremonies) is a person who acts as a facilitator, organizer, officiant regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer role-playing game. (2025). 9781887154093, Grey Ghost Press, Inc.. ISBN 9781887154093 (1988). 9780943891033, Blacksburg Tactical Research Center. ISBN 9780943891033 The act performed by a gamemaster is sometimes referred to as "gamemastering" or simply "GM-ing."
The role of a GM in a traditional tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) is to weave together the other participants' player-character (PCs) stories, control the non-player characters (NPCs), describe or create environments in which the PCs can interact, and solve any player disputes. This basic role is the same in almost all traditional TTRPGs, with minor differences specific to differing rule sets. However, in some indie role-playing games, the GM role significantly differs from the traditional pattern. For example, in Powered by the Apocalypse systems, the other players assist the GM in creating both the NPCs and the details of the campaign setting.
The role of a gamemaster in an online game is to enforce the game's rules and provide general customer service.
Gaming systems have their own names for the role of the GM. For example, in Dungeons & Dragons, they are called , in the World of Darkness games, they are called storytellers, and in Powered by the Apocalypse games they are called a variety of names, such as MCs (master of ceremonies).
GMs are typically hobbyists; however, they are sometimes paid employees or entertainers for hire. This is more common for online games. Paid GMing was very uncommon for TTRPGs before the 2020s.
Each gaming system has its own name for the role of the gamemaster, such as "judge," "narrator," "referee," "director," or "storyteller," (2025). 9781933888002, Shadowstar Games, Inc.. ISBN 9781933888002 and these terms not only describe the role of the GM in general but also help define how the game is intended to be run. For example, the most famous of such terms, the "Dungeon Master" (or "DM") in Dungeons & Dragons, (2003). 9780786928866, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.. ISBN 9780786928866 highlights the game's focus on Dungeon crawl. The Storyteller System used in White Wolf Game Studio's storytelling games calls its GM the "storyteller," while the rules- and Marvel Universe-focused Marvel Super Heroes role-playing game calls its GM the "judge." The cartoon inspired role-playing game Toon calls its GM the "animator." Some games apply flavorful names to the GM to fit the genre or setting, such as the Keeper of Arcane Lore (in the occult-themed Call of Cthulhu), (2025). 9781568821818, Chaosium, Inc.. ISBN 9781568821818 the Hollyhock God ( Nobilis, in which the hollyhock represents vanity), the Groundskeeper (in the spooky Bluebeard's Bride), the Mall Rat (in Visigoths vs. Mall Goths), or the Gaymaster (in LGBTQ-centered Thirsty Sword Lesbians).
The term gamemaster and the role associated with it have been used in the postal gaming hobby since the 1980s. In typical play-by-mail games, players control armies or civilizations and mail their chosen actions to the GM. The GM then mails the updated game state to all players on a regular basis. Usage in a wargaming context includes Guidon Games 1973 ruleset, Ironclad.
GMs may choose to run a game based on a campaign setting, with the maps and history already in place; such game worlds often have pre-written adventures. Alternatively, the GM may Conworld and script their own adventures.
World of Warcraft has employees of Blizzard Entertainment that serve as gamemasters to help users with various problems in gameplay, chat, and other things like account and billing issues. A gamemaster in this game will communicate with players through chat that has blue text and they will also have a special "GM" tag and Blizzard logo in front of their names.
RuneScape has more than 500 moderators employed by Jagex to assist players and perform administrative duties in-game and on the site forums. These Jagex Moderators, as they are called, usually have the word "Mod" and a gold crown preceding their account names which ordinary players are not permitted to use. The game also has Player Moderators and Forum Moderators who are player volunteers helping with moderation, having the ability to mute (block from chatting) other players who violate rules.
In Helldivers 2, a third-person shooter by Arrowhead Game Studios, a single employee named Joel Hakalax functions as a game master for the game's colossal playerbase. The game features many real-time events where territory is gained or lost purportedly by the players' performance, which are determined at the discretion of the game master.
Polygon, Boing Boing and Wargamer reported on a July 2024 research paper, by graduate student Pavlos Sakellaridis, which examined the feasibility of a ChatGPT dungeon master built off of The Sunless Citadel (2000) adventure module and transcripts from the actual play web series Critical Role. Boing Boing noted that "Sakellaridis compared player experiences with both AI and human Dungeon Masters" – the results showed "surprising strengths" for the AI Dungeon Master and "while human DMs maintained a slight edge in most categories, the AI excelled at creating immersive environments, scoring 4.13 out of 5 compared to humans' 3.35". Wargamer similarly highlighted that the "results of his tests are interestingly mixed" with player reports rating the human dungeon master as "more competent, created better flow and narrative progression, and elicited more positive feelings overall", however, they "thought the AI DM was better at creating immersive environments". Wargamer commented that "Artificial Intelligence is a bit of a misnomer for Chat GPT" since it is a LLM "so the robo DM's ability to create an immersive environment, in a text-based exchange, doesn't mean that it's imaginative. LLMs have been specifically designed to digest large volumes of copyrighted material down to patterns, and then generate new text that fits into those patterns when prompted". Polygon stated that "the use of generative AI has been a point of repeated contention in the tabletop industry and beyond, with the technology's critics citing its environmental impact and its foundations on exploitative labor from both workers based in the global south and artists whose work is nonconsensually used to train the tech". Polygon highlighted that this academic study used "a complex slurry of variously licensed information, with some sourced from private companies, some sourced from a group of performers, and other materials sourced from volunteers" and it "has raised questions about the hazy nature of fan works" in relation "to consent in training" of LLMs.
The concept of an AI acting as a gamemaster has expanded to actively adapt and manage gameplay in real-time within video games. For example, the AI Game Master in certain mobile titles dynamically tailors the game's narrative, challenges, and overall difficulty based on individual player performance and choices, aiming to create a personalized experience.[1] Such systems are part of a broader trend where 'AI Dungeon Masters' are changing both tabletop and video gaming through procedural generation of narrative arcs, adaptive storytelling, and dynamic encounter design, crafting unique experiences for players.[2] This advancement also includes the use of generative AI to create non-player characters (NPCs) with dynamic personalities and backstories that can influence the game's progression, raising new considerations for transparency and player interaction under regulations such as the EU AI Act.[3]
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