Welcome to Digital Play Zone!

I’m Winn Liu. We all know of NPC some of us love them, and some of us don’t today, we will be going through what they are and what purpose they have in our games.

So what is the meaning of NPC? NPC stands for Non-Playable Characters, they are the robots that are scattered throughout your game.

They are used to add depth and emotion to your game. As fun as a single-player game is, a world where you are the only person to exist isn’t a very logical one. It can lead to your players breaking their immersion.

So we now know what NPC stands for, but we can still break down the term NPC further.

These NPC are the ones that give out quest and challenges to the player. Quest Givers are often used to progress the story. Or it could be used to give extra content for the player to try out.

Merchants and Vendors are the NPCs that you would go to buy, trade, or upgrade things from. They are there to help you obtain valuable items. You will interact with these NPCs often, as you will almost always need more food, get a new potion, or upgrade your armour.

These NPCs are probably the ones you remember the most whenever you think of the word NPC. The background NPC is used to fill out your world, to give life to your world so that it feels lived in and it gives the character and the player a reason to want to fight the enemy of your games.

Enemy Units are the NPCs that you will be encountering the most often throughout your playthrough of a game. They range from the simple slime that you have to face at the beginning of the game to the huge dragon at the end of the game.

Finally, the Ally. These NPCs are the ones who are following you through your quest. They are often there as the innocent child or a young helper. They usually help by giving healing or being some sort of support.

We know that NPCs are there to give your game more depth and immersion, but how is that done?

It is done by having Background NPCs scattered around the world. Having them doing stuff in their normal lives. Showing the player the consequences of their actions as well as the villain's actions.

A good game to study for this particular way of using NPCs is Red Dead Redemption 2. It has NPCs everywhere doing their things as well as reacting to your presence.

This job goes between the Quest Givers and Background NPCs. The Quest Givers will usually give you the context and lore you must know before progressing through the story. They give your character a reason to fight and start the adventure.

Meanwhile, the Background NPCs usually have more subtle lore. The lore of the consequence of the villain's tyranny. Something like this: “Ever since the black plague hit, the crops have not been so growing well. It is as if the gods have cursed us.”

This line can help to flesh out your world as well as give you some insight into what the common people of the world are thinking.

NPCs are also used to move the story along. They do this for a reason or motivation to continue to the next area of the world. The reason could be that the Quest giver’s child or valuables have been stolen and he needs you to help get it back, while you uncover where the thing went, you find a whole smuggling black market.

Probably one of the best ways to use an NPC if done right. Having an NPC that is able to connect and create a deeper relationship with your player or other characters brings a lot of personal stakes to your story.

It makes it so that your player feels a personal connection and they will have a purpose to defeat the villain of the game. Or it can make a very painful moment when that NPC dies.

Our final method an NPC can be inserted in, is a multiple choice game. A critical part in the story where you have to choose between saving the NPC or not, can lead to huge changes in the story, It allows for a lot of creative freedom on the developer side as well as a lot of emotional tension on the player's side.

This technique is often used in heavy story games as it gives you a reason to replay the games.

Ultimately, an NPC is used to further enhance the story of your game, they fulfil many jobs in your game. They are there to help you figure out controls, help guide you through the plot, and be there to buy and upgrade equipment. they are there to bring life to your world.

A well-crafted NPC can help to truly flesh out your world and help to give your player a deep sense of immersion as well as an emotional connection.

I hope you enjoyed our blog today, feel free to contact me if you have any questions about gaming of any sorts. I look forward to playing some of your games in the near future!