Slang dossier
NPC
Pronounced en pee see
“Non-player character,” originally a game character controlled by the game rather than a human player. In slang, someone who seems scripted, unoriginal or detached; it can be an unkind label.
Get the free weekly briefing.
One email a week — what you need to know about your teens world.
Your email goes to Substack under its privacy policy. You may need to finish signup there. Subscribe directly on Substack.
Want more? Go paid: $9/month or $75/year.
In a sentence
How it sounds
Illustrative examples
- “The shopkeeper is an NPC in that game.”
- “Everyone repeated the same answer, like an NPC meme.”
Where teens use it
The habitat
Gaming, reaction videos, repetitive livestream performances and jokes about routine behavior.
Parent briefing
What parents should know
The game term is ordinary. Calling a real person an NPC can imply that their feelings matter less. Talk about the behavior you noticed rather than deciding somebody is not a full person.
Keep decoding
Related terms
Get the free weekly briefing.
One email a week — what you need to know about your teens world.
Your teen won’t explain it. We will.
Your email goes to Substack under its privacy policy. You may need to finish signup there. Subscribe directly on Substack.
Want more? Go paid: $9/month or $75/year.