Special Hanspot Article: NPCs
Life is a Game
For the first Hanspot post (where I describe the context and us of a particular Korean modern word) in a long time, I’m actually not going to discuss something that’s already heavily used. Instead, this is a term that my sister in law uses and just recently described it to me. I write about it now because I predict it will, at some point soon, spend through Korean society like wildfire to experience true slang adoption.
First off, the technicals. “NPC” is the acronym for “Non-Playable Character” in video games, usually role-playing ones. These are, as the explanatory denomination clarifies, developer deployed individuals or living things that are not your character and not directly playable. Although NPCs have become more lifelike with routines in newer games, they are usually programmed to do a certain thing and say predetermined lines.
And gamers will know that there is a limit to what one can expect from an NPC. They move around expectedly, at the very least say one or two repeated lines, and if they’re truly impressive bots, give out quests or sell/buy equipment. They’re lines of code after all, and even the most veteran of game developers create weird NPCs that respond very little to your character’s potentially infinite amount of movements.
Apparently “NPC” is a perfect way to describe some people in Korea. These are those office coworkers or people that hand out flyers on the street. They have their routines and say pretty much the same strange thing whenever you strike up conversation. If you’ve ever been to Korea, you know how well-themed any given person you see on the street is - wardrobe, actions, lifestyle, etc. Using this term in a country that is typically heads and shoulders ahead in terms of technology and gaming culture makes it even more of potent phrase.
I couldn’t stop laughing when I first heard it, simply because it’s so fun to overlay a gaming environment on the real world. It can often seem like an exact replica of real life, full of NPCs - some rich and dynamic, some the dullest one-liners.
So, do you have any noteworthy NPCs in your life?
Steem on!
NPCS In Games
With advancements in AI you would really think by now NPCs would be something far more evolved in video games. Outside of them not getting stuck as often into objects in the game world, or glitch out and just go missing. Most of them still seem to be rather plain like the old days just now they have a couple more lines, good chance to have a voice actor.
There is this one NPC in Path of Exile called Alva Valai thankfully she is only around for a couple of months unless they add it to the core game. So few lines she says it just drivers a gamer up a wall. “good job exile.” I’ve heard it so many times I would almost prefer nails going down a chalkboard.
NPCS In Life
Quite a few people seem to almost be NPC like once you know them enough to know the words that will be coming next. Almost like repeating the same quest again where you don’t even need to read it as you level up an alt.
Older people can be somewhat seen as the same way. You know when they talk about that one story they have told you 100 times. Granted sometimes they change it up a bit to see if you are even paying attention or perhaps their own memory of it changes over time as well to add in the subtle differences.
Life is also rather strange like that. On a good day for most is a day that runs like clockwork. Which is like an NPC doing its full circle around a zone and saying the same things. They perform such similar actions as they have before little thought sometimes needs to even be given.
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