phrase
NPC
lit. โnon-player characterโ
Originally a background character controlled by the game; now an insult for someone seen as predictable or unthinking.
Origin
NPC ('non-player character') is a term from tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, used in computer games since the 1970s. Around 2018, a meme spread on internet forums applying the term to humans perceived as repeating opinions without independent thought โ an insult typically deployed in political contexts.
Modern usage
Two parallel uses: literal in game discussion, and dismissive online ('NPC behavior'). The dismissive usage often says more about the speaker than the target.
Tags
character
insult
internet