Editing Gamemaster (section)

==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.