View source for Gamemaster

{{Short description|Facilitator role in role-playing games}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}{{Other uses}}
{{about|roleplaying game moderators in general|the moderator of a Dungeons and Dragons game|Dungeon Master}}
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{{RPG}}
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]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rosenberg|first1=Aaron|last2=Dupuis|first2=Ann|last3=Houle|first3=Melissa|title=The Deryni NextAdventure Game|date=2005|publisher=Grey Ghost Press, Inc.|isbn=978-1-887154-09-3|page=106}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Porter|first1=Greg|title=SpaceTime|date=June 1988|publisher=Blacksburg Tactical Research Center|location=Richmond, VA|isbn=0-943891-03-5|page=1}}</ref> 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|player-characters']] (PCs) stories, control the [[Non-player character|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 game|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]].<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |last=Wieland |first=Rob |title=A Beginner's Guide To Powered By The Apocalypse Games |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robwieland/2020/12/29/a-beginners-guide-to-powered-by-the-apocalypse-games/ |access-date=2024-07-12 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

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 [[Dungeon Master]]s,<ref>{{Cite web|title=What is a Dungeon Master? What Do the Best Ones Do?|url=https://mykindofmeeple.com/what-is-a-dungeon-master/|last=Sargeantson|first=Emily|date=2019-01-16|website=My Kind of Meeple|language=en-GB|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522150036/https://mykindofmeeple.com/what-is-a-dungeon-master/|archive-date=2020-05-22|access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref> in the ''[[World of Darkness]]'' games, they are called storytellers,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/feature/shedding-light-on-world-of-darkness-vampire-rpg |title=Shedding light on World of Darkness, the gothic-punk universe of RPG Vampire: The Masquerade |author=Allison, Peter Ray |date=2020-02-06 |website=[[Dicebreaker]] |publisher=[[Gamer Network]] |access-date=2020-09-04 |archive-date=2020-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713191637/https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/feature/shedding-light-on-world-of-darkness-vampire-rpg |url-status=live }}</ref> and in [[Powered by the Apocalypse]] games they are called a variety of names, such as MCs (master of ceremonies).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Powered by the Apocalypse, part 1 – lumpley games |url=https://lumpley.games/2019/12/30/powered-by-the-apocalypse-part-1}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Winters |first1=Mike |last2=Raffi |first2=Paul |date=2024-04-25 |title=36-year-old makes $37,000 a year leading Dungeons & Dragons games: If 'you're doing it anyway, you might as well' get paid |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/25/how-dungeons-dragons-game-master-turned-hobby-into-career.html |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Role playing gamers (III).jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A gamemaster (center) and players in a tabletop role-playing game]]

==History and variants of the term==
In a role-playing game context, the term ''gamemaster'' was first used by Dave Arneson while developing his game ''[[Blackmoor (campaign setting)|Blackmoor]]'' in 1971,<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Kushner|first1=David|title=Dungeon Master: The Life and Legacy of Gary Gygax|url=https://archive.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/news/2008/03/ff_gygax?currentPage=3|magazine=Wired|publisher=Wired Magazine|access-date=March 10, 2008}}</ref> although the first usage in print may have been ''[[Chivalry & Sorcery]]''.<ref name="tresca2010">{{citation|first1=Michael J.|last1=Tresca|title=The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games|publisher=McFarland|year=2010|isbn=978-0786458950|page=63|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8H8bzqj6S4sC&pg=PA63}}</ref> 

Each gaming system has its own name for the role of the gamemaster, such as "judge," "narrator," "referee," "director," or "storyteller,"<ref>{{cite book|last1=O'Bannon|first1=Mark|title=Fantasy Imperium|date=2006|publisher=Shadowstar Games, Inc.|location=San Diego, CA|isbn=1-933888-00-8|page=2}}</ref> 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]],''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cook |first1=Monte |title=Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook, Core Rulebook I, v.3.5 |last2=Tweet |first2=Jonathan |last3=Williams |first3=Skip |date=July 2003 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast, Inc. |isbn=978-0-7869-2886-6 |location=Renton, WA |page=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Cook |first1=Monte |url=https://archive.org/details/dungeonmastersgu00mont/page/4 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide, Core Rulebook II, v.3.5 |last2=Tweet |first2=Jonathan |last3=Williams |first3=Skip |date=July 2003 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast, Inc. |isbn=978-0-7869-1551-4 |location=Renton, WA |page=[https://archive.org/details/dungeonmastersgu00mont/page/4 4] |url-access=registration}}</ref> highlights the game's focus on [[Dungeon crawl|dungeon crawling]]. The [[Storyteller System]] used in [[White Wolf, Inc.|White Wolf Game Studio]]'s [[storytelling game]]s calls its GM the "storyteller," while the [[Role-playing game system|rules]]- and [[Marvel Universe|setting]]-focused [[Marvel Super Heroes (role-playing game)|''Marvel Super Heroes'' role-playing game]] calls its GM the "judge." The cartoon inspired role-playing game ''[[Toon (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 (role-playing game)|Call of Cthulhu]]''),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Peterson|first1=Sandy|last2=Willis|first2=Lynn|title=Call of Cthulhu, Horror Roleplaying in the Worlds of H.P. Lovecraft, 6th Edition|date=2005|publisher=Chaosium, Inc.|location=Hayward, CA|isbn=978-1-56882-181-8|page=24}}</ref> the [[Hollyhock God]] (''[[Nobilis]]'', in which the [[hollyhock]] represents vanity), the Groundskeeper (in the spooky ''[[Bluebeard's Bride]]''),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baume |first=Matt |date=2017-03-25 |title=Diving Deep into Gothic Horror in 'Bluebeard's Bride' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/diving-through-gothic-horror-in-bluebeards-bride/ |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref> the Mall Rat (in [[Visigoths vs. Mall Goths]]),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kahn |first=Lucian |title=Visigoths vs. Mall Goths |publisher=Hit Point Press |year=2023 |edition=3rd |pages=}}</ref> or the Gaymaster (in [[LGBTQ]]-centered ''[[Thirsty Sword Lesbians]]'').<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=2020-10-15 |title=Flirt and fight in queer tabletop RPG Thirsty Sword Lesbians |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/thirsty-sword-lesbians/news/thirsty-sword-lesbians-rpg-kickstarter |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}</ref>

The term ''gamemaster'' and the role associated with it have been used in the [[play-by-mail game|postal gaming]] hobby since the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tamlyn |first=Pete |date=Spring 1985 |title=Adapting Games for Postal Play |journal=Flagship. |issue=6 |pages=33}}</ref> 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 (game)|Ironclad]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wham |first1=Tom |author-link1=Tom Wham |title=Ironclad: Civil War Naval Rules |last2=Lowry |first2=Don |author-link2=Don Lowry |publisher=[[Guidon Games]] |year=1973 |location=[[Belfast, Maine]] |page=i}}</ref>

==In traditional tabletop role-playing games==
{{See also|Dungeon Master}}
The gamemaster prepares the game session for the players and the characters they play (known as [[player character]]s or PCs), describes the events taking place and decides on the outcomes of players' decisions. The gamemaster also keeps track of [[non-player character]]s (NPCs) and [[random encounter]]s, as well as of the general state of the game world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Samantha |date=2019-02-21 |title=A beginner's guide to playing Dungeons and Dragons |url=https://www.polygon.com/deals/21294556/dnd-how-to-play-dungeons-dragons-5e-guide-spells-dice-character-sheets-dm |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> The game session (or "[[adventure (role-playing games)|adventure]]") can be metaphorically described as a [[Play (theatre)|play]], in which the players are the lead actors, and the GM provides the [[Stage (theatre)|stage]], the [[Theatrical scenery|scenery]], the basic [[Plot (narrative)|plot]] on which the [[improvisation]]al script is built, as well as all the [[bit part]]s and [[supporting character]]s. Gamemasters can also be in charge of RPG board games making the events and setting challenges.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Lawton |first=Chuck |title=Confessions of a First Time DM: First Encounter |url=https://www.wired.com/2011/08/introduction-to-d-and-d-2/ |access-date=2024-10-03 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref>

GMs may choose to run a game based on a [[campaign setting|published game world]], with the maps and history already in place; such game worlds often have pre-written adventures. Alternatively, the GM may [[Conworld|build their own world]] and script their own [[Adventure (role-playing games)|adventures]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Kemner |first1=Louis |last2=Aravind |first2=Ajay |last3=Melzer |first3=Jenny |last4=Gunn |first4=Conor |last5=Williams |first5=Isaac |last6=Raley |first6=Christopher |date=2021-04-29 |title=15 Beginner Friendly D&D Campaigns for New DMs to Start With |url=https://www.cbr.com/dnd-campaigns-for-new-players-dm/ |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref>

==In online games==
In early [[virtual world]]s, gamemasters served as a [[Forum moderator|moderator]] or [[System administration|administrator]]. In [[Multi-User Dungeon|MUD]] game masters were called "[[Wizard (MUD)|wizards]]." Gamemastering in the form found in traditional role-playing games has also been used in semi-automatic virtual worlds. However, human moderation was sometimes considered unfair or out of context in an otherwise automated world.<ref name="bartle">{{cite book|last=Bartle|first=Richard|author-link=Richard Bartle|title=[[Designing Virtual Worlds]]|publisher=New Riders|year=2003|isbn=0-13-101816-7}}</ref> As [[online game]]s expanded, gamemaster duties expanded to include being a [[customer service representative]] for an [[online community]]. A gamemaster in such a game is either an experienced volunteer player or an employee of the game's publisher. They enforce the game's rules by banishing spammers, [[Player versus player#Player Killing|player killers]], cheaters, and [[hacker (computer security)|hackers]] and by solving players' problems by providing general customer service. For their tasks they use special tools and characters that allow them to do things like teleport to players, summon items, and browse logs that record players' activities.<ref name="wowwiki" />

''[[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.<ref name="wowwiki">{{cite web|title=Game Master|publisher=WowWiki.com|url=http://www.wowwiki.com/Game_Master|access-date=2013-10-20}}</ref>

''[[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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-09-01 |title=RuneScape - the massive online adventure game by Jagex Games Studio |url=http://www.runescape.com/kbase/guid/how_do_i_report_abuse |access-date=2024-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901045040/http://www.runescape.com/kbase/guid/how_do_i_report_abuse |archive-date=2009-09-01 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The world of RuneScape |url=https://play.runescape.com/ |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=play.runescape.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite news |author1=Morgan ParkContributions from Evan Lahti |date=2024-02-28 |title='We have an actual person with the title of Game Master': A single Helldivers 2 dev named Joel is pulling the strings on its galactic war like an all-powerful D&D dungeon master, war will become 'more and more sophisticated over time' |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/we-have-an-actual-person-with-the-title-of-game-master-a-single-helldivers-2-dev-named-joel-is-pulling-the-strings-on-its-galactic-war-like-an-all-powerful-dandd-dungeon-master-war-will-become-more-and-more-sophisticated-over-time/ |access-date=2024-03-03 |work=PC Gamer |language=en}}</ref>

=== Additional online games ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2024}}
The now defunct ''[[America Online]]'' Online Gaming Forum used to use volunteers selected by applications from its user base. These people were simply referred to as OGFs by other members, and their screennames were indicative of their position (i.e., OGF Moose, etc.). While membership in the Online Gaming Forum had only one real requirement (that is, be a member of AOL), OGFs were given powers quite similar to AOL "Guides" and could use them at will to discipline users as they saw appropriate. ''[[Battleground Europe]]'', a medium-sized [[MMOFPS]], has a team of ''Game Moderators'', anonymous volunteers who moderate the game. ''[[Miniconomy]]'', a smaller text-based [[Massively multiplayer online game|MMO]], has a team of ''Federals'', experienced players that help moderate the game and interactions. ''[[Transformice]]'', an online multiplayer platformer, has a team of volunteer moderators called ''Mods'' who are experienced players that help moderate the game and interactions. ''[[ARMA 3]]'', an open-world military tactical shooter, has a ''Zeus'' role that allows any player slotted in that role to place down almost any asset in the game including infantry and vehicles, objectives, intelligence, and score-keeping modules. The Zeus can also modify aspects of the world itself including time, weather, and wildlife to create dynamically progressing stories. ''[[Neverwinter Nights (2002 video game)|Neverwinter Nights]]'' and ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption]]'' are [[video game]] adaptations of [[tabletop role-playing game]]s that are played online with one player acting as a traditional gamemaster.

==In pervasive games==
Gamemastering, sometimes referred to as Orchestration<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Thompson|first1=Mark K.|last2=Weal|first2=Mark J.|last3=Michaelides|first3=Danius T.|last4=Cruickshank|first4=Don G.|last5=De Roure|first5=David C.|title=MUD Slinging: Virtual Orchestration of Physical Interactions|journal=University of Southampton ECSTRIAM03-007|citeseerx=10.1.1.109.6617|date=2003}},</ref> is used in [[pervasive game]]s to guide players along a trajectory<ref name="Benford2009-Trajectory">{{cite journal|last1=Benford|first1=Steve|last2=Giannachi|first2=Gabriella|last3=Koleva|first3=Boriana|last4=Rodden|first4=Tom|title=From interaction to trajectories: designing coherent journeys through user experiences|journal=Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems|pages=709–718|publisher=ACM|date=2019|url=https://technicalaliboos.blogspot.com/2019/11/top-5-games.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108063223/https://technicalaliboos.blogspot.com/2019/11/top-5-games.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-11-08}}</ref> desired by the game author.<ref name="Ali Shan">{{cite journal|last1=Jonsson|first1=Staffan|last2=Waern|first2=Annika|last3=Montola|first3=Markus|last4=Stenros|first4=Jaakko|title=Top % Games. Experiences from [[Momentum (game)|momentum]]|journal=Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems|date=November 2019}}</ref> To ensure proper gamemastering can take place, four components are needed: some kind of sensory system to the game allowing the game masters to know current events, providing dynamic game information; dynamic and static game information lets game masters make informed decisions; decisions need to be actuated into the game, either through the game system or through manual intervention; and finally a communication structure is needed for both [[Diegesis|diegetic]] or non-diegetic communication.<ref name="nevelsteen2015-pervasivemoo">{{cite book|last=Nevelsteen|first=Kim JL|title=A Survey of Characteristic Engine Features for Technology-Sustained Pervasive Games|publisher=Springer International Publishing|series=SpringerBriefs in Computer Science|date=2015|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-17632-1|isbn=978-3-319-17631-4|s2cid=19479793|url=http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-117147}}</ref> Effective gamemastering can require specialized user interfaces that are highly game specific.<ref name="Jonsson2007">{{cite journal|last1=Jonsson|first1=Staffan|last2=Waern|first2=Annika|last3=Montola|first3=Markus|last4=Stenros|first4=Jaakko|title=Game mastering a pervasive larp. Experiences from [[Momentum (game)|momentum]]|journal=Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems|date=2007}}</ref>

== Gamemaster simulation ==
Certain sourcebooks simulate the decisions of a gamemaster by various means for either group or solo gaming.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Cullen |first=Maddie |date=2023-01-06 |title=5 ways to play RPGs without a GM |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/how-to/how-to-play-rpg-without-gm |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=[[Dicebreaker]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Chase |date=2020-07-27 |title=How to play tabletop RPGs by yourself: A beginner's guide to solo roleplaying |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/how-to/how-to-play-tabletop-rpgs-by-yourself |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Dicebreaker]]'' highlighted that game master "emulators or oracles allow you to play a game and let dice or cards decide what happens next, instead of a human game master".<ref name=":5" /> With solo games, they noted that "many systems abstract the duties of running the game into dice rolls and random tables" while other systems "shift the focus away from numbers and maths in lieu of an experience akin to a [[Choose Your Own Adventure]] book".<ref name=":6" />

=== Generative artificial intelligence ===
[[Generative artificial intelligence]] (AI), built off of [[large language model]]s (LLMs), can also be used to simulate the actions of a gamemaster.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Zeoli |first=Rowan |date=2025-01-17 |title=AI Dungeon Master experiment exposes the vulnerability of Critical Role’s fandom |url=https://www.polygon.com/critical-role/510326/critical-role-transcripts-ai-dnd-dungeon-master |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Steven |last2=Iziev |first2=Nikita |date=2022-04-15 |title=A.I. Is Mastering Language. Should We Trust What It Says? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/15/magazine/ai-language.html |access-date=2025-05-02 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fahey |first=Rob |date=2023-04-21 |title=Could AI spell the end of the immersion-breaking NPC? {{!}} Opinion |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/could-llms-spell-the-end-of-the-immersion-breaking-npc-opinion |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=GamesIndustry.biz |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Garcia |first=Derek |date=2021-05-27 |title=Why AI Dungeon Is A Work In Progress, And Still Not Safe |url=https://screenrant.com/ai-dungeon-not-safe-children-kids-safeguards-problems/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> In 2023, both ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' and ''Bell of Lost Souls'' highlighted the limitations of using [[ChatGPT]] as a dungeon master for ''Dungeons & Dragons''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Gilsdorf |first=Ethan |title=ChatGPT’s Storytelling Chops Are No Match for Dungeons & Dragons |url=https://www.wired.com/story/chatgpt-learn-from-dungeons-and-dragons/ |access-date=2025-05-02 |work=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Zambrano |first=J. R. |date=2023-05-26 |title=We Played D&D With a Chat-GPT Dungeon Master – Can AI Really Run Your Campaign? |url=https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2023/05/we-played-dd-with-a-chat-gpt-dungeon-master-can-ai-really-run-your-campaign.html |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=Bell of Lost Souls |language=en}}</ref> ''Wired'' commented that "ChatDM's taste for fantasy was often a bland amalgam of fantasy scenarios harvested from decades of D&D lore and Tolkienesque tropes" and it struggled "to maintain a consistent story".<ref name=":0" /> They noted this experience reminded them "that a good D&D adventure isn't like being told a story by a novelist or storyteller" as instead "the narrative unfolds communally around a table"; however, ChatD&D "ironically" might be "truer to the game's improv-oriented roots" as the "more free-form" nature means neither the players nor the dungeon master have "a clue as to where the adventure will go".<ref name=":0" /> ''Bell of Lost Souls'' noted "asking Chat-GPT to accomplish anything creative really highlights the limits of a Large Language Model" and that while it can produce "great idea-seeds", ChatGPT does not understand "the pacing of a scene in a game, or a story or adventure".<ref name=":1" /> They commented it is "fantastic at helping you iterate" and it can take "a lot of the grunt and guesswork out of the work of ideation" when working on plot development.<ref name=":1" />

''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'', ''[[Boing Boing]]'' and ''[[Wargamer (website)|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]]''.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Toohey |first=Ellsworth |date=2025-01-14 |title=AI might be your next Dungeon Master |url=https://boingboing.net/2025/01/14/ai-might-be-your-next-dungeon-master.html |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=Boing Boing |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2025-01-20 |title=AI dungeon master for DnD railroads players |url=https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/ai-railroads-players |access-date=2025-05-02 |website=Wargamer |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Sakellaridis |first=Pavlos |title=Exploring the Potential of LLM-based Agents as Dungeon Masters in Tabletop Role-playing Games |date=July 2024 |access-date=May 1, 2025 |publisher=[[Utrecht University]] |url=https://studenttheses.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/20.500.12932/47209/Thesis_Final.pdf}}</ref> ''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".<ref name=":3" /> ''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".<ref name=":4" /> ''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 [[Artificial intelligence and copyright#Training AI with copyrighted data|digest large volumes of copyrighted material]] down to patterns, and then generate new text that fits into those patterns when prompted".<ref name=":4" /> ''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 of artificial intelligence|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".<ref name=":2" /> ''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.<ref name=":2" />

==See also==
* [[Dungeon Master]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite web|access-date=10 July 2011|publisher=Wizards of the Coast, Inc.|title=What Is D&D?|quote=The Dungeon Master (DM) is the one who plays the "bad guys." He knows the secrets of the dungeon, either because he has read the dungeon that the players explore or because he created that dungeon himself.|url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/whatisdnd|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051112155728/http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/whatisdnd|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 12, 2005}}

{{Pervasive games}}

[[Category:Role-playing game terminology]]
[[Category:Pervasive games]]