# NPC (meme)

- Term: General term
- Date: 2016
- Canonical: https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/npc-meme/

> Internet slang, drawn from the gaming term [Non-player character](https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/non-player-character/), for people accused of not thinking for themselves and repeating stock phrases like a scripted game character. The gray-faced NPC Wojak image became a political insult and later a TikTok performance trend.

Internet slang, drawn from the gaming term [Non-player character](https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/non-player-character/), for people accused of not thinking for themselves and repeating stock phrases like a scripted game character. The gray-faced NPC Wojak image became a political insult and later a TikTok performance trend.

**Origin:** The NPC Wojak appeared on 4chan in 2016; it drew mainstream press coverage in October 2018, and NPC streaming went viral on TikTok in 2022.

## Quick answers

**What does "NPC (meme)" mean?**
Internet slang, drawn from the gaming term Non-player character, for people accused of not thinking for themselves and repeating stock phrases like a scripted game character. The gray-faced NPC Wojak image became a political insult and later a TikTok performance trend.

**Where does the term "NPC (meme)" come from?**
The NPC Wojak appeared on 4chan in 2016; it drew mainstream press coverage in October 2018, and NPC streaming went viral on TikTok in 2022.

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From The Lantern Hall (https://www.lanternhall.org/), a museum of fantasy literature and roleplaying games.