Minor point on the origin of the term NPC. As an old role-playing game nerd—of the tabletop variety—the origin of the term predates computer games. The term was introduced/used back in the days of the original tabletop role-playing games (eg, Dungeons and Dragons) of the 70s and 80s. In these games, players each play the role of a character in a story/adventure: a ‘player character’ or PC. Characters played by the game master (eg, ‘villains’), and not by any player, are called non-player characters (NPCs).
Right, nice catch. I’ll add that as a note, as I think it’s still fair to say that the term came from the world of video games, as that’s the route it took into common parlance, even if it’s not the origin.
Minor point on the origin of the term NPC. As an old role-playing game nerd—of the tabletop variety—the origin of the term predates computer games. The term was introduced/used back in the days of the original tabletop role-playing games (eg, Dungeons and Dragons) of the 70s and 80s. In these games, players each play the role of a character in a story/adventure: a ‘player character’ or PC. Characters played by the game master (eg, ‘villains’), and not by any player, are called non-player characters (NPCs).
Right, nice catch. I’ll add that as a note, as I think it’s still fair to say that the term came from the world of video games, as that’s the route it took into common parlance, even if it’s not the origin.