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Slang file #013Here to stayInternet culture

What does NPC mean?

Say iten-pee-SEE/ˌɛn.piːˈsiː/noun

Stands for
  1. NNon
  2. PPlayer
  3. CCharacter

A character in a video game that the computer controls, or, as slang, a person who seems boring and unable to think for themselves.

Written by the Second Language TeamWritten

NPC is short for non-player character. In a video game, an NPC is a character that the computer controls, like a shopkeeper who says the same line every time you walk past. Online, people also call a real person an NPC when that person seems boring, follows the crowd, or never seems to have an original thought.

Say it letter by letter: en-pee-SEE. In games it is a normal, neutral word. As slang it is a mild insult. It is very casual and most common among teens and young adults.

Word stats

How casual
Very casual and very online. The game meaning is neutral, but the insult belongs in chats with friends.
OK at work
Fine if you make video games and mean the characters. Calling a coworker one is a bad idea.
Grandma-safe
It is only a small insult, but it is still an insult. Many parents learn the word when their teen calls them one.
Cringe risk
Medium. Used about strangers, it can sound mean or edgy, and some people still hear the 2018 politics in it.
Freshness
Steady. About as many people look it up as last year. Like a good NPC, it stays in the same place.

Spotted in the wild

Group chat · gaming night
  1. Jinthe NPC in the bakery gave me a side quest AGAIN
  2. Youlol just ignore him, he says the same 3 lines forever
  3. Jini can’t, he looks so sad and he wants his flour back

What it means here: Here NPC has its game meaning: a character the computer controls.

TikTok comments
  1. dana.kme at work replying "sounds good!" to every single email
  2. marcus_lolNPC behavior 😭
  3. dana.ki have one line of dialogue and i will use it

What it means here: A friendly joke: Dana repeats one phrase, like a game character with only one line.

Text with Mom
  1. Momwhat does NPC mean? your brother says I’m the NPC of the family
  2. Youlol it means a background character. like how you always say "drive safe"
  3. MomWell, that’s good advice. Drive safe.
  4. Yousee?? 😂

What it means here: A light family joke: Mom always says the same thing, like a game character.

How to use it

  • be (such) an NPCHe agrees with everything the boss says. He’s such an NPC.
  • NPC behavior / NPC energySaying "it is what it is" to every problem is NPC behavior.
  • (full) NPC modeI slept three hours, so I’m in full NPC mode today.
  • like an NPCHe walked past me like an NPC. No hello, nothing.
  • the NPCs (in a game)Talk to the NPCs in town to find your next quest.

Don’t say it like this

  • Sounds offHe is a NPC.

    Say thisHe is an NPC.

    The letter N is said "en", which starts with a vowel sound, so use "an".

  • Sounds offTalk to the NPC’s in town.

    Say thisTalk to the NPCs in town.

    For the plural, just add -s. An apostrophe shows that something belongs to the NPC: "the NPC’s shop".

  • Sounds offMy best friend is such an NPC, I love her so much!

    Say thisMy best friend is so fun, I love her so much!

    NPC is never a compliment for a real person. It means boring or unoriginal.

  • Sounds offIn a meeting: "Our manager is such an NPC."

    Say thisOur manager always gives the same answer.

    It is an insult, so at work it can hurt people and make you look unprofessional.

NPC or not?

Is each of these NPC? Pick an answer to find out.

  1. In a game, a guard stands at the castle gate and says "Stay out of trouble" to every player.

  2. A classmate copies every trend, repeats popular opinions, and never says what they really think.

  3. Your friend plans a surprise trip, starts a strange new hobby, and argues for an unpopular opinion.

  4. You and three friends play an online game, and each of you controls your own character.

The NPC family

  • main character energyActing like you are the star of your own story.The opposite of NPC. Often filmed in slow motion, walking in the rain.
  • basicOrdinary and predictable, always following popular trends.Like NPC, but it orders the seasonal coffee first.
  • sheepleSheep + people: people who follow the crowd without thinking.NPC’s older cousin from the farm.

Where it came from

  1. 1970sPeople start saying NPC in role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. It is short for non-player (or non-playing) character: a character run by the game, not by a player [1].
  2. 2010sPeople start using NPC for real people, as an insult for someone who seems to have no thoughts of their own [1].
  3. October 2018Supporters of Donald Trump create "NPC accounts" on Twitter that pretend to be liberals with no minds of their own. Twitter bans more than 1,000 of them because of worries about false information [3].
  4. TodayTeens use NPC as an everyday diss for anyone who seems boring, and gamers still use it for the shopkeeper who sells the potions.

Is NPC always an insult?

No. It depends on who says it, and where.

WhereWhat NPC meansHow it sounds
In a game or a game chatA character the computer controlsNeutral, just a word
About another personSomeone boring, unoriginal, or a followerA mild insult
About yourselfYou are tired and doing things without thinkingA joke

Merriam-Webster describes the slang sense as a person who seems to have no ability to think for themselves, and says this use is growing [1]. For teens, an NPC is someone who is not the star of the show: a follower, or a person who agrees with everything [2].

Be careful with strangers and with politics. In 2018, some people online used NPC to describe people with different political views as drones with no minds of their own [3]. Because of that history, some people hear the word as a real insult, not a joke.

Sources

  1. NPC Slang MeaningMerriam-Webster
  2. Your teen is calling you 'NPC': What it meansTODAY.com
  3. The politics of the NPC meme: Reactionary subcultural practice and vernacular theoryBig Data & Society (SAGE), Rob Gallagher and Robert Topinka, 2023

More slang to decode

Articles

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