Non-player character

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A non-player character greets the player in the 2019 video game A Short Hike A Short Hike Screenshot 2.png
A non-player character greets the player in the 2019 video game A Short Hike

A non-player character (NPC) is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. [1] The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster or referee rather than by another player. In video games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer (instead of a player) that has a predetermined set of behaviors that potentially will impact gameplay, but will not necessarily be the product of true artificial intelligence.

Contents

Role-playing games

In traditional tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons , an NPC is a character portrayed by the gamemaster (GM). [2] While the player characters (PCs) form the narrative's protagonists, non-player characters can be thought of as the "supporting cast" or "extras" of a roleplaying narrative. Non-player characters populate the fictional world of the game, and can fill any role not occupied by a player character. Non-player characters might be allies, bystanders or competitors to the PCs. NPCs can also be traders that trade currency for things such as equipment or gear. NPCs thus vary in their level of detail. Some may be only a brief description ("You see a man in a corner of the tavern"), while others may have complete game statistics and backstories.

There is some debate about how much work a gamemaster should put into an important NPC's statistics; some players prefer to have every NPC completely defined with stats, skills, and gear, while others define only what is immediately necessary and fill in the rest as the game proceeds. There is also some debate regarding the importance of fully defined NPCs in any given role-playing game (RPG), but it is general consensus that the more "real" the NPCs feel, the more fun players will have interacting with them in character.

Playability

In some games and in some circumstances, a player who is without a player character can temporarily take control of an NPC. Reasons for this vary, but often arise from the player not maintaining a PC within the group and playing the NPC for a session or from the player's PC being unable to act for some time (for example, because the PC is injured or in another location). Although these characters are still designed and normally controlled by the gamemaster, when players are given the opportunity to temporarily control these non-player characters, it gives them another perspective on the plot of the game. Some systems, such as Nobilis , encourage this in their rules.

Dependants

Many game systems have rules for characters sustaining positive allies in the form of NPC followers; hired hands, or other dependant stature to the PC. Characters may sometimes help in the design, recruitment, or development of NPCs.

In the Champions game (and related games using the Hero System), a character may have a DNPC, or "dependent non-player character". This is a character controlled by the GM, but for which the player character is responsible in some way, and who may be put in harm's way by the PC's choices.

Video games

The term "non-player character" is also used in video games to describe entities not under the direct control of a player. The term carries a connotation that the character is not hostile towards players; hostile characters are referred to as enemies, mobs, or creeps.

NPC behavior in computer games is usually scripted and automatic, triggered by certain actions or dialogue with the player characters. In certain multi-player games ( Neverwinter Nights and Vampire: The Masquerade series, for example) a player that acts as the GM can "possess" both player and non-player characters, controlling their actions in order to further the storyline. More complex games, such as the aforementioned Neverwinter Nights, allow the player to customize the NPCs' behavior by modifying their default scripts or creating entirely new ones.

In some online games, such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games, NPCs may be entirely unscripted, and are essentially regular character avatars controlled by employees of the game company. These "non-players" are often distinguished from player characters by avatar appearance or other visual designation, and often serve as in-game support for new players. In other cases, these "live" NPCs are virtual actors, playing regular characters that drive a continuing storyline (as in Myst Online: Uru Live ).

An NPC with dialogue in the game Celeste Celeste screenshot 06.png
An NPC with dialogue in the game Celeste

In earlier RPGs, NPCs only had monologue. This is typically represented by a dialogue box, floating text, cutscene, or other means of displaying the NPCs' speech or reaction to the player.[ citation needed ] NPC speeches of this kind are often designed to give an instant impression of the character of the speaker, providing character vignettes, but they may also advance the story or illuminate the world around the PC. Similar to this is the most common form of storytelling, non-branching dialogue, in which the means of displaying NPC speech are the same as above, but the player character or avatar responds to or initiates speech with NPCs. In addition to the purposes listed above, this enables development of the player character.

More advanced RPGs feature interactive dialogue, or branching dialogue (dialogue trees). [3] An example are the games produced by Black Isle Studios and White Wolf, Inc.; every one of their games is multiple-choice roleplaying. When talking to an NPC, the player is presented with a list of dialogue options, and may choose between them. Each choice may result in a different response from the NPC. These choices may affect the course of the game, as well as the conversation. At the least, they provide a reference point to the player of their character's relationship with the game world.

Ultima is an example of a game series that has advanced from non-branching ( Ultima III: Exodus and earlier) to branching dialogue (from Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar and on). Other role-playing games with branching dialogues include Cosmic Soldier , Megami Tensei , Fire Emblem , Metal Max , Langrisser , SaGa , Ogre Battle , Chrono , Star Ocean , Sakura Wars , Mass Effect , Dragon Age , Radiant Historia , and several Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games.

Certain video game genres revolve almost entirely around interactions with non-player characters, including visual novels such as Ace Attorney and dating sims such as Tokimeki Memorial , usually featuring complex branching dialogues and often presenting the player's possible responses word-for-word as the player character would say them. Games revolving around relationship-building, including visual novels, dating sims such as Tokimeki Memorial, and some role-playing games such as Persona , often give choices that have a different number of associated "mood points" that influence a player character's relationship and future conversations with a non-player character. These games often feature a day-night cycle with a time scheduling system that provides context and relevance to character interactions, allowing players to choose when and if to interact with certain characters, which in turn influences their responses during later conversations. [4]

In 2023, Replica Studios unveiled its AI-developed NPCs for the Unreal Engine 5 , in cooperation with OpenAI, which enable players to have an interactive conversation with unplayable characters. [5] "NPC streaming"—livestreaming while mimicking the behaviors of an NPC—became popular on TikTok in 2023 and was largely popularized by livestreamer Pinkydoll. [6]

Use of word as an insult

On the Internet, the term NPC is often used as an insult to suggest that some people are unable to form thoughts or opinions of their own. Such people are often characterized as being similar to NPC Wojak, who is a grey-faced, expressionless Internet meme. [7] [8]

Monetization

NPC streaming is a type of livestream that allows users to participate in and shape the content they are viewing in real time. It has become widely popular as influencers and users of social media platforms such as TikTok utilize livestreams to act as non-player characters. [9]

"Viewers in NPC live streams take on the role of puppeteers, influencing the creator's next move." [10] This phenomenon has been on a rise as viewers are actively involved in what they are watching, by purchasing digital "gifts" and sending them directly to the streamer. In return, the streamer will briefly mimic character or act.

This phenomenon has become a trend starting from July 2023, as influencers make profits from this new internet character. Pinkydoll, a TikTok influencer gained 400,000 followers the same month that she started NPC Streaming, while her livestreams began to earn her as much as $7,000 in a day. [11] NPC streaming gives creators a new avenue to earn money online. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Player character</span> Character controlled by a game player

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Role-playing game</span> Game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Role-playing video game</span> Video game genre

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<i>Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar</i> 1985 video game

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<i>Ultima VII: The Black Gate</i> 1992 video game

Ultima VII: The Black Gate is the seventh installment of the Ultima series of role-playing video games, released in April 1992. In it, the player returns as The Avatar, a would-be paragon of moral virtue who faces down many dangers and deceptions in order to cleanse the medieval fantasy world of Britannia of assorted plots and schemes, monster infestations, and the undermining of crown authority.

<i>Ultima IX: Ascension</i> 1999 video game

Ultima IX: Ascension is the ninth and final part of the main series of the role-playing video game series Ultima. Developed by Origin Systems and published by Electronic Arts, Ultima IX was released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows after years in development hell. Following the Avatar's escape from Pagan, he is transported back to Britannia for one final battle with the Guardian, who is increasingly ruining the physical and moral fabric of that land by the use of eight columns. The Avatar must fight his way to the runes of virtue found in each of the columns, and cleanse them in the shrines of Virtue, then face off against the Guardian himself.

<i>Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss</i> 1992 first-person role-playing video game

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss is a first-person role-playing video game developed by Blue Sky Productions and published by Origin Systems. Released in March 1992, the game is set in the fantasy world of the Ultima series. It takes place inside the Great Stygian Abyss: a large cave system that contains the remnants of a failed utopian civilization. The player assumes the role of the Avatar—the Ultima series's protagonist—and attempts to find and rescue a baron's kidnapped daughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quest (video games)</span> Player task in video games

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nonlinear gameplay</span> Gameplay involving unordered sequences

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dialogue tree</span> Gameplay mechanic

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<i>Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith</i> 1998 video game

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith is an expansion pack for the 1997 first-person shooter Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, developed and published by LucasArts for Microsoft Windows in 1998. It was re-released on Steam in September 2009. The expansion includes a new single-player story mode and fifteen multiplayer maps. The single-player story, set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe five years after the events of Dark Forces II, follows both returning protagonist Kyle Katarn, a Jedi Master and mercenary working for the New Republic, and Mara Jade, a character featured in numerous Star Wars expanded universe works, who is being trained by Katarn in the Jedi arts. After Katarn goes missing while investigating an ancient Sith temple, Jade continues her studies on her own while undertaking missions from the New Republic, eventually leaving to find Katarn.

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<i>Divinity: Original Sin II</i> 2017 video game

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NPC (meme)</span> An insult that implies a person lacks critical thinking

The NPC, derived from non-player character, is an Internet meme that represents people who do not think for themselves or do not make their own decisions; those who lack introspection or intrapersonal communication. The meme gained further viral status on TikTok, with the surge of "NPC Streamers". In terms of politics, it's often been used by those with anti-establishment views to describe those who fail to question authority, "groupthink", or a stance that would display conformity and obedience. The NPC meme, which graphically is based on the Wojak meme, was created in July 2016 by an anonymous author and first published on the imageboard 4chan, where the idea and inspiration behind the meme were introduced.

Fedha Sinon, better known by her online alias Pinkydoll, is a Canadian internet personality and online TikTok streamer. Her NPC TikTok livestreams, in which she reacts to gifts sent to her with repetitive phrases and motions, went viral in 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: NPC (Nonplayer Character)". Next Generation . No. 15. Imagine Media. March 1996. p. 38.
  2. ↑ Slavicsek, Bill; Baker, Richard (April 8, 2005). Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies . John Wiley & Sons. p.  73. ISBN   9780764599248.
  3. ↑ Jay Collins; William Hisrt; Wen Tang; Colin Luu; Peter Smith; Andrew Watson; Reza Sahandi. "EDTree: Emotional Dialogue Trees for Game Based Training" (PDF). Spirits.bournemouth.ac.uk. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  4. ↑ Brent Ellison (July 8, 2008). "Defining Dialogue Systems". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on May 10, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  5. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (May 25, 2023). "Replica unveils AI-powered smart NPCs for Unreal Engine". VentureBeat.
  6. ↑ Napolitano, Elizabeth (July 27, 2023). "In latest TikTok fad, creators make big bucks off "NPC streaming" - CBS News". CBS News . Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  7. ↑ Sommerlad, Joe (October 17, 2018). "What is NPC, the new favourite insult used by Trump fans?" . The Independent. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022.
  8. ↑ D'Anastasio, Cecilia (October 5, 2018). "How The 'NPC' Meme Tries To Dehumanize 'SJWs'". Kotaku.
  9. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/08/12/tiktok-npc-trend-streaming
  10. ↑ Chong, Linda (August 12, 2023). "They act like video game characters on TikTok. It nets $200 an hour". The Washington Post .
  11. ↑ Chan, Wilfred (July 19, 2023). "$7,000 a day for five catchphrases: the TikTokers pretending to be 'non-playable characters'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  12. ↑ Tran, Christine H. (July 25, 2023). "What the 'NPC streaming' TikTok trend spells for the future of gaming and erotic work". The Conversation. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
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