Loading the document
1 free read left. Create a free account for unlimited reading + AI research.
Create free accountWhitepaperUniversity of Waterloo
Guards & Wards: The Creative Labour of GMs and Considerations for Designing with AI
Key insights
7 takeaways- 01Game Masters (GMs) perform significant creative labour involving improvisation, rule adjudication, and narrative storytelling, with 58% of surveyed GMs already incorporating AI tools into their workflows.See it on page 1
- 02GMs hold highly polarized views on AI, resulting in twelve distinct orientation groups that range from total rejection based on ethical concerns—such as data sourcing and the perceived loss of human 'soul'—to active adoption for brainstorming and content generation.See it on page 12
- 03A central consensus among GMs is that while AI may assist in preparation, the core narrative and the 'personal touch' of the game must remain human-driven to preserve the collaborative and improvisational nature of TTRPGs.See it on page 16
- 04Professional GMs (those paid to run sessions) are significantly more motivated by extrinsic factors like recognition and material gain compared to non-professional hobbyists, though both groups prioritize maintaining human-led personalization.See it on page 15
- 05AI tools for TTRPGs risk reducing collective novelty by relying on generic fantasy tropes, necessitating that developers prioritize tools that expand the 'possibility space' for GMs rather than converging play toward single, biased outcomes.See it on page 16
- 06Demographic analysis indicates that a participant's sexuality is a statistically significant indicator of both their likelihood to have used AI in their GM workflow and their overall stance toward AI adoption in the hobby.See it on page 14
- 07Effective AI design for TTRPGs must account for the distinction between asynchronous preparation tasks and real-time, high-stakes improvisation, ensuring that tools do not disrupt the GM's ability to react to player agency.See it on page 18
Comments