NPC
Game's background figure
An NPC is a non-player character in a video game—any character controlled by the game's programming rather than a human player.
NPCs serve various roles: merchants, enemies, allies, or ambient townspeople going about scripted routines.
The term has become slang for a person who seems to lack independent thought, mechanically following trends or repeating popular opinions without critical examination: He's such an NPC, just parroting talking points.
The insult suggests someone operates like a programmed character rather than thinking for themselves. (Lowercase npc is informal.)
Small store manager
- mobDisorderly, aggressive crowd
- enemyHostile opposing party
- allySupportive partner
- spawnAquatic eggs or generate
pathfinding · aggro · patrol · scripted · loot · grinding · companion · vendor
One following accepted norms
- followerOne who supports another
- sheepWoolly farm animal
- automatonSelf-moving mechanical device
- roboticStiff and unemotional
predictable · scripted · unoriginal · basic · drone · mindless · programmed · extra
Nature, symbol, or role
- sidekickSubordinate adventure partner
- mentorTrusted wisdom-giving advisor
- villainWicked story antagonist
- guideLeader or instruction book
foil · extra · worldbuilding · exposition · lore · backstory · deuteragonist · confidant
Tabletop RPG narrator
- game masterTabletop campaign narrator
- roleplayingAssuming fictional identities
- campaignOrganized effort toward goal
- encounterUnexpected meeting or confrontation
voice acting · improv · session · module · merchant · noble · commoner · monster
Belonging to government
- oil companyBusiness extracting crude
- crudeUnpolished, raw state
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
- productionMaking or generating something
refinery · upstream · downstream · reserves · drilling · extraction · nationalized · petroleum
shopkeeper
Small store manager
spawn · pathfinding · aggro · patrol · scripted · loot · grinding · companion · vendor · innkeeper
conformist
One following accepted norms
robotic · predictable · scripted · unoriginal · basic · drone · mindless · programmed · extra · filler
character
Nature, symbol, or role
- sidekickSubordinate adventure partner
- mentorTrusted wisdom-giving advisor
- villainWicked story antagonist
guide · foil · extra · worldbuilding · exposition · lore · backstory · deuteragonist · confidant · ensemble
dungeon master
Tabletop RPG narrator
- game masterTabletop campaign narrator
- roleplayingAssuming fictional identities
- campaignOrganized effort toward goal
encounter · voice acting · improv · session · module · merchant · noble · commoner · monster · creature
state-owned
Belonging to government
- oil companyBusiness extracting crude
- crudeUnpolished, raw state
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
production · refinery · upstream · downstream · reserves · drilling · extraction · nationalized · petroleum · energy sector
- gameplaypower-up, level cap, save point, game over, tutorial level
- game developmentgame engine, game design, game engines, game designer, rendering
- game termslevel, score, player, win, lose
- gamingvideo games, buff, games, PlayStation 4, gameplay
- character typesprotagonist, hero, antagonist, villain, heroes
- digital thingsavatar, chatbot, AI assistant, virtual pet, bot
User-controlled game persona
PC · protagonist · main character · hero · central character
NPCfree thinker
One who reasons independently
independent thinker · freethinker · main character · individual · nonconformist