It's Not the GM's Job to Make Sure People Have Fun

[Odhanan]

From Alexander Macris on the Escapist, in Check for Traps: Judging the Game:

It's Not Your Job to Make Sure People Have Fun

When I listed the four functions of the GM in my last article, two out of the first six responses said that "the real job of the GM is to make sure people have fun." Others have said this to me in conversation. Well, I disagree!

If you're the GM, it's not your job to make sure people have fun. The belief that when a player doesn't have fun it's the GM's fault has caused more GMs more grief and heartburn than any other myth in gaming. You can be an amazing GM, yet a player might not have fun. Because whether or not people have fun is going to depend on factors that are outside your control: How did their wife treat them on their way over? How was their day at work? How well do they roll the dice? Do they play the game as well as the other players? You can't control these things, and therefore you shouldn't feel responsible for them.

What you should feel responsible for doing is creating an environment in which everyone could have fun. Imagine that you are hosting a party: Your job is to provide the right mix of appetizers, drinks, ambience, and crowd so that people can have fun. It's not to act like a clown because Rob had a bad day at work. This is a subtle point, but if you keep it in mind, you'll avoid a lot of self-inflicted doubt and stress about your role.

Agree? Disagree?

 

[Lord Xtheth]

I would have to disagree. The entire point of playing a game is to have fun. Granted not everyone will have fun all the time, but to try and make things fun is what the game master is supposed to do.
Using the very example above; If I'm hosting a party, and have everything set up so people have as much fun as I can think of, and one of my guests had some kind of "bad day" I WOULD go out of my way to console this person, at least slightly, but still pay just as much attention to each guest.
I for one take great pride in being able to make the game fun for as many people as I can. When my players all have fun, I too have fun.
So IMHO, it is not only a GM's job to make the game fun, it's also his responcibility, and his reward!

 

[Umbran]

There's a flaw in the piece:

"The belief that when a player doesn't have fun it's the GM's fault has caused more GMs more grief and heartburn than any other myth in gaming."

It is the purpose (job) of a seat belt to prevent injury in a car accident. If a person gets injured in a car accident, is it necessarily the fault of the seat belt? No. There's a great deal that can happen to cause injury that is beyond the seat belt's ability to control.

Even if it is the GM's job to ensure fun for all concerned, this would not imply that lack of fun is necessarily the GM's fault.

 

[caudor]

It's not a black or white thing. People play D&D to have fun-DM included. The DM's effort/role contributes the groups goal of having fun. If folks are not having fun it could be because of numerous reasons...too many to list here.

This is sorta a meta-geek topic. Gamers talk about gamey things that interest those who like to have fun, but also those who enjoy analyzing the process of having fun.

 

[Kafen]

From Alexander Macris on the Escapist, in Check for Traps: Judging the Game:



Agree? Disagree?

I disagree...and agree. Initially, my first impulse is to agree. However, the GM has to keep players coming back to the game table. People have bad days. It's not going to kill you as a GM to let the player in a vile mood find an extra trap, do some extra damage, or RP the PCs emotional breakdown in bar room with the NPCs all pointing and laughing. Sure, it's not my job as GM to make the player feel good, but job is secondary to my job as a friend. Friends help friends. As long as you don't go overboard to the point where you wreck your campaign, the group is not going to suffer. For my table top group, I disagree.

Where I agreed with it, I did a GM stint at an event in NC a while back. The players were half nice guys and half jerks. I played 'strict' GM and provided a good game to all parties without concern for moods. Sure, I missed out on some aspects of the personal dynamics, but the overall effect was good for the group.

 

[Rechan]

The GM is the fun facilitator. Or at least, he has some control over fun accommodation. The point being, he creates opportunities he thinks will be fun for the players. He looks for ways to put what that player wants into his game, so the player is more satisfied and enjoying.

If the player isn't having fun, then the DM may not be at fault, but the DM certainly should try to find out what's up and address it.

To put it another way: If everyone at the table is bored, the DM should do something about that. So, if everyone at the table isn't having fun, shouldn't the DM do something about that? Even if that something is simple asking the player at another time, "hey, what's up?"

 

[Oryan77]

I agree, it's not my job to make sure players are having fun. But it is my job to provide the chance to have fun and to try and help make it fun. But no more so than it is the players job to do the same.

I've DM'ed people that were a complete bore. I'm there to have fun also, and if a player isn't being active in the game other than rolling dice and telling me the result, then I'm not having fun and he isn't doing his part to make it fun.

But again, "fun" depends on the person playing/DMing. It goes back to personal preference. If I want a lot of roleplaying and the player just wants to hack-n-slash, it's not my job to give him hack-n-slash if I don't want to. Just like it isn't his job to give me roleplaying if he doesn't want to. I'd rather us go our separate ways than for either of us to do "our job" for the other person if we don't want to do that.

 

[Grymar]

It all depends on definitions. "Fun" moment to moment? Or fun over the long haul? A fun campaign can have many down, unfun, and even depressing moments. Hell, I'd say campaign HAS to have those moments in order to be fun.

 

[Derulbaskul]

It's not a black or white thing. (snip)

I agree.

The problem with these sorts of topics and the arguments that they engender is that they end up becoming like arguments about politics: the real answer lies at both extremes, in the middle and at some points in between all at the same time.

 

[Stalker0]

As others have said, its a matter of degree.

Do I expect the DM to create an environment that is fun to play in? Yes.


Do I expect him to cater to my every whim to get the "perfect experience". No.