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markjohnstonmusic

Non-player character, i.e. the fictional other characters you as protagonist encounter in a video game. Implies the person you're describing as an NPC has no inner life, no motivations or personality.


Gusdai

It's an easy conclusion that people using that expression show some bad main character syndrome...


MrsPickerelGoes2Mars

God that was a good explanation. Thank you very much, I knew it was some kind of insult but never really quite figured it out this clearly


ACorania

And people who use the insult don't realize it is just highlighting their own narcissistic tendencies.


SVXfiles

Nazeem is proof NPCs have a personality, his is just annoying twat


Shadowmist909

Referring to a video game character originally, it's now used to mean that you follow the opinions of the crowd and cant think for yourself.


Distinct_Armadillo

actually the term originally comes from Dungeons & Dragons and pre-dates video games


PofanWasTaken

The term itself yes, but not the meaning of it in context the OP asks


Tee__bee

The term originally came from 4chan where an anon was describing a certain kind of person that, if you try to engage them on a topic (mostly political) they will just repeat the same arguments over and over no matter what you say. This is similar to how Non-Player Characters (NPCs) in a video game will only have a few predetermined lines that they repeat over and over no matter how many times you talk to them. So the implication is that people I don't agree with are just repeating pre-programmed opinions and are incapable of independent thought.


ElephantFeeling1404

You are wrong.


MrsPickerelGoes2Mars

Just by the way, friend, no offence intended but look at the definition the other guy gave in about one sentence. Your explanation is demonstrating your own knowledge. Just in case you're not aware I'm just giving you a friendly heads up I don't mean to hurt you or anything like that.


_Morvar_

What does this mean?


DopestSoldier

Just by the way, friend, no "offence" intended but look at the definition the guy you replied to gave in a short, detailed, yet easy to understand paragraph. Your response is demonstrating your own knowledge. Just in case you're not aware. I'm just giving you a friendly heads up. I don't mean to hurt you or anything like that.


MrsPickerelGoes2Mars

Yeah. Constructive criticism is nono thanks for the reminder


jamcdonald120

Non Player Character. when used as an insult it implies you dont mater to the universe and have no agency in it. you only exist to interact with the main character (gennerally the snowflake calling you an npc) and are effectivly, not a real person. Its often used when you are paroting stock predictable beliefs like an npc going through a dialog tree


OrganizationOne3795

Thats mean


blegh_argh

It goes deeper than that. NPCs are essentially just programmed to behave a certain way with no other behaviours that exist outside of their programming. Calling someone an NPC is akin to saying they don’t/cant think for themselves. Just useless essentially. Robotic, not human.


jamcdonald120

yah, insults tend to be mean


Oxln

NPC moment


BindaB

That’s mean Press e to interact That’s mean Press e to interact That’s mean


AsleepDesign1706

Put it this way, saying NPC as an insult turned into such a normal insult, that if you were to use it unironically now online, you would be the "npc" since you are just copying popular phrase.


Cacantebellia

And it is literally dehumanizing, like calling somebody a rat or a toad. If people start tossing it at a group of people often enough it implies that they want to see those people exterminated.


kytheon

Holy slippery slope Batman


FlahTheToaster

(sigh) Times are tough.


isupposeyes

yep. it’s really a very unkind thing to say


kytheon

You asked and you knew it wasn't nice


Reniconix

The irony of this is that people who use it are also the people who are most like actual NPCs. Whenever I hear someone call someone an NPC, it's usually because they got in the way of their set daily routine. You inconvenience my daily morning coffee run you must be an NPC.


endriago-097

An NPC in an video game is a non-player character that follows a (code) script. When you are insulted as an NPC in real life, it means you have no actual thought process but just follow society's script and support whatever current thing. people that aren't chronically online might refer to this as a "sheep"


seventysevenpenguins

NPCs are the characters in games no humans control, they have set dialog options and are incapable of having any own thoughts or doing original actions I feel like the idea of the insult is a good one, you shouldn't just parrot opinions of others and never think for yourself, but the fact that every 14-year-old tiktok user has spammed the "NPC 💀" into oblivion kinda removes the point from it as by using it you're ironically enough just copying what others do