What are Fake Characters Called in Games?

In video games, non-player characters (NPCs) refer to any character that is not controlled by a human player. As a fellow gaming enthusiast, you know NPCs are a staple of most video games and serve many important roles from enemies to allies, vendors, quest-givers and more. But what exactly are these fake characters called and how do they work? This comprehensive guide will explore the ins and outs of non-player characters.

A Brief History of NPCs

It‘s amazing to look back and see how much NPC technology has evolved over the decades:

The Early Years (1940s-1970s) – One of the first NPCs dates back to the text-based Colossal Cave Adventure from 1976, which had a simple character named Grues who wanders the caves. Other text adventures like Zork also had basic scripted NPCs. Early strategy and simulation games like Civilization and SimCity used NPCs to generate enemies and citizens.
The 8-bit Era (1980s) – With classic games like Pac-Man, NPC ghosts displayed distinct personalities and behaviors like chasing or scattering. NPCs became more interactive in story-rich RPGs, with townspeople to converse with. The first NPC allies joined your party, and merchants sold gear.
The 3D Era (1990s) – 3D worlds and growing compute power gave devs far more freedom with NPCs. In games like The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, NPCs had daily schedules, traveling between cities, homes and jobs. Morrowind improved interactivity with thousands of fully voiced NPCs. Hitman injected personality into crowds, with unique reactions based on your actions.
The HD Era (2000s) – As graphics achieved photorealism, expectations grew for NPCs to be equally lifelike. Facial animations, body language, emotions, complex dialogue trees and contextual speech advanced tremendously. NPCs reacted dynamically based on your choices. Assassin‘s Creed crowds showcased amazing life-like behaviors.
Current Gen (2010s and beyond) – With cloud computing and neural networks, NPCs are now scarily close to passing the Turing test. In games like LA Noire, stunning mo-cap and Uncanny Valley tech allow for nuanced facial reactions. AI analyzes real human social data to generate remarkably natural conversations and relationships between NPCs and players in games like Detroit: Become Human.

Looking at how far we‘ve come from basic scripted responses to fully autonomous characters, it‘s incredible to imagine where NPC technology might take us in another 10 or 20 years.

The Vital Roles and Types of NPCs

Like a cast of characters in a film, NPCs are essential for bringing game worlds to life and filling them with personality:

Allies – These NPC companions fight by your side, provide buffs, healing, or access to gear and training. Some of my favorite allies include Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2, Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite, and Dogmeat from Fallout. I‘ll never forget Elizabeth tossing me life-saving ammo and health just when I needed it most – forging a bond that made me care deeply about her wellbeing. Having allies that feel human makes you far more invested in protecting them.
Enemies – Every good game needs great villains and adversaries. Enemies keep us on our toes with interesting attack patterns that force us to master combat and strategy to progress. Who could forget facing off against the iconic Goombas and Koopa Troopas in Super Mario Bros? Or the relentless alien xenomorphs in Alien Isolation that instilled constant terror? Enemies are the yang to our hero‘s yin.
Vendors – These shopkeepers provide valuable gear and items in exchange for currency. They immerse us into game economies and reward exploration and questing. I have fond memories haggling with each unique vendor in the sprawling markets of the Elder Scrolls games to optimize my spending. It made shopping far more interactive than simply accessing a generic store menu.
Quest Givers – These NPCs propel adventures forward by giving you specific tasks to accomplish before rewarding you with currency, items or information. Memorable quest givers like Moira Brown from Fallout 3 not only provide objectives but bring humor and memorable personality as well. Quests are a pillar of RPGs and online games like World of Warcraft.
Info Providers – Sometimes games hide lore, tips and secrets for you to discover. Info-giving NPCs create a sense of mystery and reward curiosity. The rambling robot Hint Book Page from Paper Mario sticks in my memory – providing amusing factoids and clues to help Mario on his journey.
Decorations – Not every NPC needs an elaborate backstory or interaction model – some simply exist to populate realistic virtual worlds with ambient life. Bustling crowds in huge open world cities like Assassin‘s Creed make them feel wonderfully dynamic and lived in. Even something as simple as schools of fish add vibrancy to underwater game scenes.

Of course many NPCs fulfill multiple roles at once. For example, a merchant could also dish out story info or quests. But all NPC archetypes contribute to crafting immersive interactive worlds.

Comparing NPCs, PCs and Human Players

NPCs, player characters (PCs) and human players each have their strengths and weaknesses:

NPCs – Controlled by AI, they provide developer defined interactions and behaviors balanced for fair gameplay. But their adaptability is limited, especially in open worlds.
Player Characters – Direct human control means far more creative freedom. But some players exploit systems in unfun or unbalanced ways that devs can‘t anticipate.
Human Players – Nothing matches the randomness and innovation of human behavior. But it‘s difficult to deliver narrative cohesion amongst conflicting player choices.

NPCs allow developers to populate massive worlds with life at scale, while focusing stories around defined protagonists. The future blurring of boundaries between NPCs and PCs promises incredibly dynamic adventures, but also challenges in world design and balancing.

The Uncanny Valley Phenomenon

That uneasy feeling when NPCs become a bit too lifelike is called the uncanny valley. As their appearance and behavior approach indistinguishability from reality, subtle imperfections create a strangely unsettling effect before finally crossing back into seeming fully natural.

For example, early text and 8-bit NPC behaviors were clearly artificial – no one would actually mistake them for human. As graphics gained fidelity, we marveled at things like facial animations, not noticing imperfections. But as computing power enables eerily accurate simulations, anomalies like deadened eyes, clipped speech, or stiff joint movements suddenly become jarringly obvious.

Thankfully, developers are learning to better avoid the uncanny valley as AI and mo-cap tech improves. But the phenomenon reveals much about human psychology and our ability to perceive even the slightest deviations from natural behavior. Realism has its difficulties – stylized anime characters with exaggerated emotions can sometimes feel more relatable and appealing than painstakingly rendered but lifeless ones. There‘s still an art to creating NPCs that connect with players.

The Growing Impact of NPCs

It‘s incredible looking back at how integral quality NPCs have become to crafting engrossing game experiences:

Storytelling – NPCs allow developers to weave complex narratives. Player choices during conversations can steer outcomes and emotions within relationships. Few games demonstrate this better than experimental titles like Facade, which generates dramatic NPC interactions dynamically.
Worldbuilding – Populated game worlds feel more grounded and alive. Unique NPC schedules, behaviors and social dynamics make them credible as living spaces. Watching NPCs go about daily routines in games like Animal Crossing or The Elder Scrolls brings them to life.
Gameplay – NPC challenges, allies, resources and quests provide structure and incentives driving gameplay forward. Open worlds thrive on content and stories populated by NPCs like Grand Theft Auto‘s eccentric cast of characters.
Immersion – The more human-like NPC reactions and emotional bonds become, the more deeply players care about game worlds. Moments like the death of Aeris in Final Fantasy VII would not have nearly the same impact without believable NPC relationships.
Social Interaction – Meaningful bonds forged between players and NPCs can capture the emotional essence of real human relationships from camaraderie to romance. These social simulations will only grow more sophisticated with future NPC tech.

NPCs in the Real World

As game AI develops, it‘s beginning to find many practical applications:

Service Bots – NPC conversational abilities can power automated assistants, whether disembodied AI like Siri or Alexa, or physical retail helpers.
Virtual Assistants – Their human-like personalities and speech make NPCs well-suited for applications like tutoring, customer service, medical consultations and more.
Smart Devices – Home electronics like vacuums and appliances could adopt NPC personas, making interactions more natural and enjoyable. Imagine an oven assistant chef NPC helping guide you through recipes!
Psychological Applications – As emotional simulations improve, NPC counseling and therapy programs hold promise. Speaking with a kind NPC could help many who find interactions with real people anxiety-inducing.
Training Sims – Highly interactive NPCs already assist with training for everything from medicine to the military. Future itertools will leverage massive data to provide fully realistic practice environments.

This crossover into real-world AI is a testament to the impressive strides games have made with NPC technology.

Memorable NPC Companions

Over the years, many NPCs have profoundly impacted players and gaming culture:

GLaDOS (Portal series) – The sarcastic murderous AI makes a perfect antagonist we love to hate. Ellen McLain’s brilliant voice performance brings the right mix of personality and menace to the character.
Cortana (Halo series) – Players formed strong connections with Master Chief’s faithful AI companion. Her likeable personality and sacrifice created some truly poignant moments in Halo 4 that demonstrated how NPCs could drive emotional stories.
Pavel (Metro Exodus) – This Russian soldier NPC forges a touching bond with the player over the course of the game. Our shared travels through post-apocalyptic Russia are made all the more memorable through conversations and experiences with the loyal Pavel.
Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite) – Her expressive face and excellent voice acting bring Elizabeth to life. She supports you in combat in lifelike ways like seeking cover, and her relationship with the player character Booker develops meaningfully based on your choices.
Clementine (The Walking Dead) – Players watched her grow from a young girl to capable survivor across the series, shaping her personality through their choices. Strong writing and characterization made her a fan favorite.

Iconic NPCs	Game Sales	Metacritic Score
GLaDOS (Portal)	~20 million units	95%
Cortana (Halo)	~82 million units	87-97%
Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite)	~ 11 million units	94%
Pavel (Metro Exodus	~2.5 million units	83%
Clementine (The Walking Dead)	~50 million units	82-94%

These examples demonstrate how memorable NPCs have become ingrained in gaming culture and driven sales and critical acclaim. As technology improves, they set the bar higher for crafting NPCs who can build genuine connections with players.

My Most Memorable NPC Encounters

We all have those special NPC interactions burned into our memories. I‘ll never forget these three from my own gaming adventures:

Red Dead Redemption‘s Stranger Side Quests – This Western classic was packed with colorful NPCs to meet, save and hunt with across its open world. The stranger missions told micro-stories that made the world feel alive with opportunity. I‘ll always remember the eccentric Nigel West Dickens who pulled me into all sorts of crazy schemes.
Undertale‘s Quirky Monsters – Undertale put a twist on combat by letting you befriend enemies through dialogue trees. Goofy monstrosities like the migraine-afflicted Moldsmal and zen heroine Onion-san made my journey surprisingly heartwarming for a land of misfits.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic‘s HK-47 – This cynical assassin droid NPC accompanied me on my adventures, offering plenty of darkly comedic quips lampooning human behavior in the process. I can‘t help but chuckle when he calls organic lifeforms "meatbags". His sardonic yet lovable personality added so much flavor.

NPC interactions like these make game worlds feel alive in a way predefined linear stories just can‘t match. I can‘t wait to see what future NPC tech will enable!

The Cutting Edge of Modern NPC Tech

Developers are leveraging powerful new tech to make NPCs more lifelike than ever:

Neural Networks – Technologies like machine learning and deep learning analyze vast datasets of human behavior to generate highly natural reactions, speech and relationships between NPCs.
Cloud Computing – Outsourcing complex NPC AI to server farms allows for far more advanced computations than local hardware can handle, enabling intricate models of memory, perception and decision making.
Procedural Content – Algorithms dynamically generate unique NPC appearances, personalities and quests to populate truly massive game worlds.
Smart Terrain – Spatial information allows NPCs to intelligently navigate and interact with environments. For example, take cover or avoid dangers.
Player Metrics – Tracking detailed player data helps NPCs respond appropriately to different playstyles. The game observes how you behave and tailors NPC reactions accordingly.
Motion Capture – High-fidelity mocap translates actors‘ movements and facial expressions onto digital NPC models with greater realism.
Voice Recognition – Natural language processing allows for more conversational interactions with NPCs via voice commands and dialogue trees.

These exponential leaps will take NPC immersion to the next level.

The Future of NPCs and Game AI

NPC technology continues advancing at a staggering pace. Here are just some of the exciting innovations on the horizon that will bring interactive characters to life like never before:

Schedule/Routine AI – NPCs will follow intricate routines, dynamically interacting with environments and other NPCs in highly believable ways. Imagine villagers going about days filled with behaviors modeled on real humans.
Radical Personalities – Algorithms generate diverse personas, speaking styles and emotional profiles for NPCs resulting in wonderfully distinct characters.
Player-Specific Adaptation – NPCs study individual playstyles and preferences to deliver personalized content catered specifically to you. Your experience will be unique.
Interactive Touch – Tactile feedback via controllers, gloves or suits allows players to physically interact with NPCs and game worlds through touch, forging deeper bonds.
Natural Language Processing – Conversations with NPCs will flow organically using normal speech thanks to vast improvements in voice recognition and generative language models.
Hyper Realistic Environments – Stunningly detailed NPCs inhabit expansive worlds teeming with life and opportunity through procedural generation.
Ethical Simulation – As NPCs grow eerily human-like, developers must consider thorny issues surrounding AI rights, privacy, manipulation and control.

The possibilities seem endless. But rather than replace human creativity, the greatest NPC leaps will likely come through collaboration between man and machine intelligence. After all what is an NPC but an artificial approximation of ourselves? By embracing humanity‘s flaws and foibles alongside our strengths, future game AI has the potential to illuminate the very essence of the human condition.

So the next time you boot up your favorite game, take a moment to appreciate the humble NPCs who breathe life into interactive worlds and enable our own legendary adventures. This incredible journey is only just beginning!