NPC stands for non-player character, the scripted background figures in video games who repeat set lines and follow fixed routines. Online, the term grew into slang for a person who seems to act on autopilot, and the NPC Wojak meme helped popularise that idea from 2018 onward. Short NPC audio clips later spread through gaming edits, reaction videos and TikTok, where creators use the label for awkward, repetitive or emotionless behaviour that feels programmed rather than spontaneous.