Are you an NPC or Player One?

The hidden assumptions in a digital analogy

In recent years, a peculiar term once reserved for the realm of video games has seeped into cultural and pseudo-philosophical discussions — the NPC.

Originally an acronym for Non-Player Character, this concept has migrated from its gaming roots into debates about free will, individual autonomy, critical thinking, and something to do with TikTok. But how did a gaming term find itself at the center of discussions on human agency, and what does its use reveal — or conceal — about our understanding of reality?

From Games to memes

The term NPC began in tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, where the “game master” controlled characters other than the players’ own heroes. In video games, these NPCs are governed by code, offering predetermined responses and behaviors. Their lack of real choice and predictability stands in contrast to the player’s ability to act freely within the game’s rules.

The person holding the controller is Player One, their choices and autonomous actions dictate the flow of the game.

By the late 2010s, the label had left the gaming world and taken on a life of its own online, employed to mockingly describe individuals seen as merely reciting cultural or…