NPC meaning: definition, quotations

NPC

noun

7 senses

1Initialism of non-player character.
2A person with no ability to think for themselves; a…
3Initialism of no patient care.
4Initialism of Niemann-Pick disease type C.
5Initialism of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
6Initialism of non-printing character.
7Initialism of neighbourhood police center.

Video games Abbreviation, Initialism Initialism of non-player character.

Roleplaying games

When it comes to open-world games and larger experiences, NPCs are crucial to immersing the player in the world and allowing them to feel as though the people they meet along their journey aren’t just robots but, in fact, real individuals and smaller but important pieces to the larger puzzles of the title. For The Witcher 4, game director Sebastian Kalemba has vowed to make every NPC in the upcoming installment look like “they’re living, with their own story.”2025 January 5, Eleni Thomas, “The Witcher 4 Director reveals how NPCs are evolving like never before”, in Dexerto:

Video games Internet, Figuratively A person with no ability to think for themselves; a sheeple (originally referring to opponents of US President Donald Trump).

Roleplaying games

Several months ago, users on 4chan and Reddit, the online message forums, started using the term NPC to refer to liberals. These people, they said, join the anti-Trump crowd not because they are led by independent thought or conscience to oppose President Trump’s policies, but because they’re brainwashed sheep who have been conditioned to parrot left-wing orthodoxy, in the manner of a scripted character.[2018 October 16, Kevin Roose, “What Is NPC, the Pro-Trump Internet’s New Favorite Insult?”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 30 Dec 2022:
While watching the VOD later, xQc insinuated that Fortnite pro Bucke was an "NPC" who was only there to defend Tate and not give Piker a fair shot – and what resulted afterward has caused quite a stir in its own right.2022 July 22, Alec Mullins, “NRG Bucke kicks off after xQc calls him an “NPC” for siding with Andrew Tate”, in Dexerto, archived from the original on 25 Sep 2022:

Medicine, Sciences Abbreviation, Initialism Initialism of no patient care.

Medicine, Sciences Abbreviation, Initialism Initialism of Niemann-Pick disease type C.

Medicine, Sciences Abbreviation, Initialism Initialism of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Abbreviation, Initialism Initialism of non-printing character.

Singapore, Abbreviation, Initialism Initialism of neighbourhood police center.

Related terms: FPV, POV, main character syndrome

NPC

verb

To act as an NPC (“non-player character”) in a game.

All characters wish to submit to the game must be either netural or good even though the group will have to interact with evil beings as well. To preserve the group from being totally dark and paranoid, I will NPC the evil characters.2003 November 25, PBM List Autoposter, “New: In the Light and in the Shadows (free, open-ended, email, human, fantasy, rpg)”, in rec.games.pbm (Usenet), message-ID <3fc30f0d$1@news.meer.net>:
[in a deleted scene, one of the signs used by the homeless Q*bert gang reads as follows] "will npc in fps 4 food!"2012, Wreck-It Ralph (movie)