Game Master

American  

[geym mas-ter, mah-ster] / ˈgeɪm ˌmæs tər, ˌmɑ stər /

noun

1. Games. GM

   1. the person who organizes or directs the story or play in a tabletop game, as a role-playing game.

   2. (in anMMORPG ) an employee representative of the game developer who maintains a presence in the online game and may be called by players to resolve technical issues, enforce terms of service, etc..

      If someone is being abusive or harassing you, just report him to a Game Master.

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Etymology

Origin of Game Master

First recorded in 2000–05

Example Sentences

Under the direction of a game master, players confront a series of scenarios testing their managerial mettle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026

It’s self-guided, meaning no need for a game master, and is a separate entity from “Code Green.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2024

Connie Chang, a 24-year-old game master who runs “a semi-Tumblr-famous D&D meme blog,” is the GM of Transplanar, “a non-colonial, anti-Orientalist” livestreamed game consisting entirely of players who are transgender and people of color.

From Seattle Times • May 22, 2022

Leshy, who serves as a Dungeons & Dragons-like game master, sits across the table, and most of the time, you can see only his eyes.

From The Verge • Mar. 11, 2022

This was an average evening for Mike Sell, a professor of English at Indiana University of Pennsylvania who moonlights as an online game master.

From New York Times • Mar. 6, 2021