non-player characters
Scripted game entities
Non-player characters are figures in video games and tabletop role-playing games controlled by the computer or game master rather than by players.
They populate game worlds as shopkeepers, quest-givers, enemies, or background inhabitants.
Abbreviated NPC.
The term has spread beyond gaming to describe people perceived as lacking independent thought or personality: Half the people at that party were NPCs.
Those who sell goods
- merchantsThose who conduct commerce
- shopkeepersRetail establishment proprietors
- innkeepersLodging establishment managers
- blacksmithsArtisans forging iron tools
companions · allies · enemies · bosses · minions · guards · townsfolk · villagers
Character's past narrative
- motivationImpetus toward a goal
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
- expositionSystematic explanatory presentation
protagonist · antagonist · mentor · sidekick · archetype · conflict · foreshadowing · world-building
Capacity to seem true
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
- lifelikeResembling the real thing
- verisimilitudeAppearance of being factual
- ambianceMood of surroundings
atmosphere · daily routines · living world · reactive · persistence · memory · reputation · consequences
Self-propagating cultural units
- kill countNumber of eliminations
- escort missionsProtecting someone during travel
- fetch questsMissions requiring item retrieval
- grindingMolar action sometimes
vendors
Those who sell goods
- merchantsThose who conduct commerce
- shopkeepersRetail establishment proprietors
- innkeepersLodging establishment managers
blacksmiths · companions · allies · enemies · bosses · minions · guards · townsfolk · villagers · guildmasters
backstory
Character's past narrative
- motivationImpetus toward a goal
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
exposition · protagonist · antagonist · mentor · sidekick · archetype · conflict · foreshadowing · world-building · subplot
believability
Capacity to seem true
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
- lifelikeResembling the real thing
- verisimilitudeAppearance of being factual
ambiance · atmosphere · daily routines · living world · reactive · persistence · memory · reputation · consequences · emergent behavior
memes
Self-propagating cultural units
- kill countNumber of eliminations
- escort missionsProtecting someone during travel
- fetch questsMissions requiring item retrieval
grinding · glitches · wiki pages · fan favorites · party members
AI
Simulated cognitive processing
- pathfindingCalculating efficient travel routes
- scriptingWriting executable commands
- triggersCauses or activates
behaviors · spawning · branching · responses · routines · aggro · respawn · hitboxes · collision · procedural
non-player charactersplayer characters
Gamer-controlled in-game personas
PCs · avatars · protagonists · main characters · lead characters
non-player charactersmain characters
protagonists · critical thinkers · leaders · trailblazers · nonconformists
player, character, players, characters, plays, played, playing, playable, unplayable