More insights about translation choices: Game master or Game mistress?

As previously explained, being the #LocJAM focused on inclusivity, we tried our best to keep a gender neutral language, despite all the difficulties we encountered.

One of the issues we faced was deciding what term to use for Game Master.

In Italian, Game Master is usually used to address a male GM. While in English a female GM can be called Game Mistress, this is sometimes used in Italian but carries an implicit sexualized meaning in it.

There is also the possibility to use LA Game Master (with a feminine article) instead of IL Game Master (with a masculine article), but the main term would anyway stay in its masculine form.

Many game mistress are ok with just using the feminine article, others are ok with using the masculine form, however it is always better to ask which one they prefer. 

An incredibly thorough and useful article about this can be found here, in English version, or Italian one.

After a long discussion, we decided to completely avoid the Game Master terminology, changing the Master into a Guide, which in Italian is a gender neutral term. We thought that this could also help the tool to meet a wider audience, not only the RPG players, but also any other type of event where more people are gathered together facing an adventure, being it a board game, a chamber game larp or an activity among kids, guided by an educator.