non-player character

English

Etymology

non- +‎ player character

Noun

non-player character (plural non-player characters)

1. (roleplaying games, video games) A character in a role-playing game or computer game whose actions are not controlled by a player.
2. (Internet slang, derogatory) An individual who does not think for themselves nor makes their own decisions.

Usage notes

Often used to specifically refer to characters who are not hostile towards the players. Hostile non-player characters are instead called enemies, monsters, mobs, or creeps.

Synonyms

• NPC
• AI (for computer games, but not role-playing games)
• computer (for computer games, but not role-playing games)

Antonyms

• player character

Translations

character in a role-playing game or computer game

• Catalan: personatge no jugador (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 非玩家角色 (fēi-wánjiā juésè)

• Finnish: NPC (fi), ei-pelaaja-hahmo, ei-pelaajahahmo
• French: personnage non-joueur m (PNJ), ordi (fr) m
• German: Nicht-Spieler-Charakter (NSC or NPC)
• Indonesian: karakter non-pemain sg
• Italian: personaggio non giocante (PNG)
• Polish: bohater niezależny m (BN)
• Portuguese: non-player character m (NPC), personagem não jogável m or f
• Romanian: personaj non-jucător n
• Russian: неигрово́й персона́ж m (neigrovój personáž)
• Spanish: personaje no-jugador m (NPC)
• Swedish: spelledarperson (SLP)
• Ukrainian: неігрови́й персона́ж m (neihrovýj personáž) (НІП)