Re: [NBC Miami] 36-year-old makes $37,000 a year leading Dungeons & Dragons games

On 27/04/2024 1:22 am, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

 

On 4/25/2024 10:49 AM, Kyonshi wrote:

Personally, I can't imagine anything worse than making my hobby my
job. It turns the thing I enjoy most into something I /have/ to do.
One of the reasons I enjoy the things I do is that I /don't/ have to
them. The worst parts of DMing are that feeling of obligation trying
to pump out the next adventure; that you're players are waiting on you
to create another interesting and fun experience. Especially when
there's a deadline ("Oh god, we're meeting up to play in TWO days and
I haven't even started the final dungeon!!!").
 Throw in the idea that people are PAYING me for the privilege? I'd go
nuts. Not to mention, I'm sure quality and experimentalism would go
down. Can't take risks, not if you want that filthy lucre to keep
coming in; just pump out pablum.
 DM for money? No thank you. Not me.

Yeah, it just sounds kind of stressful to me. I have been running games for so many decades that it's kind of just second nature for me, with lots of winging it and flying by the seat of my pants. If I was getting paid for it I'd feel obliged to bring some kind of level of professionalism to proceedings which would just kind of kill the reason I do it, ie, to relax and have fun with my wife and my mates - no glasses of wine behind the DM's screen if I feel like it, taking exhaustive notes rather than mostly leaving that to my players and asking them to recap for me at the start of every session (haha), etc, etc, etc. As you say, all more in the name of trying for an acceptable level of consistency rather than taking risks, taking the game to crazy and unexpected places and so forth.
That said if people want to do this and others want to pay, more power to them I guess. But the best payment for me will always be everyone around the table having a good time and, ideally, getting really into the adventure.
--
As always, I remain...
Spawn