GameMaster

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GameMasters (abbreviated GM or GMs) are independant contractors who work for Simutronics Corporation, filling the roles of customer service representitive and developer.

GameMasters are almost exclusively former players who have "moved on" from playing GemStone, though some continue to actively play their player-characters, to helping to develop the game and Elanthia as a whole further.

GameMasters are divided into two categories: Customer Experience and Development. CE GMs are directly involved with the customers--be it running a merchant, or taking control of a creature to do something outside of normal behavior, or answering a request for help--while Dev GMs are more in the nuts and bolts of the game.

Most GameMasters have a strange sense of humour. While this is not precisely a job requirement, it certainly helps.

Wyrom on what it takes to be a GameMaster (2014/8/17)

I'd also like to point out that I'm an offsite staff member. We're pretty much volunteers, but we are considered independent contractors. There is some compensation for our time, but in no way is it a livable wage. Years and years ago, there was the quote that it's simply "beer and pizza money." Now depending on the type of beer you drink or pizza you eat, it might be beer OR pizza money. We all do this because we care about the game. I choose to spend my free time here, but make no mistake, my home life does have to come first. I just happen to have a lot of free time.

The GM application pool definitely has a lot of good candidates. But some things to consider, if you're applying, are your in-game play time (under 60 hours a month typically is a Bad Thing [tm]), your warnings, your communication outside of the official game channels, your general demeanor and attitude on the forums, your grammar on your application, and your contributions as a player. I started off as a GameHost, and it took me years to get that. I was interviewed 3 times for a GM position over the course of 6 years before I got hired.

See Also