Editing Gamemaster (section)

==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>