Photo courtesy of Neowiz Games.
Photo courtesy of Neowiz Games.

As I paid for my chickens, the cashier and I just had the same conversation from last week—small talk about the weather, the high price of things and how tough it is to get ahead.

As I walked away I was awash in deja vu. I realized we had nearly the same conversation every time I go through her line.

It made me think of NPCs—Non Player Characters. They are the one dimensional people that populate games. The merchant that trades with you, the gatekeeper and the tavern maid are all examples of NPCs.

Could there be NPCs in real life? The cashier that always remarks on the pin in my hat and the postal worker that always asks if I’m expecting anything exciting have no place in my life other than these brief, predetermined interactions… or am I their NPC? My responses are as formulaic as theirs.

I don’t want to go through life on auto-pilot with predetermined conversations. The NPCs never accomplish anything in a game. They are unremarkable and soon forgotten. The NPCs don’t climb Mount Doom and save the world. They sit at The Prancing Pony and share the same small talk as long as the game is played and the story is read.

Next time I pass through my NPC cashier’s line I’m going to try and see her for herself and not the shallow character my mind has accepted. We may never have shared a meaningful conversation—yet— but she is meaningful and worth the effort. On the flip side, by seeking real interaction, perhaps I can become more than just an NPC myself.

 

By Angela Yuriko Smith

Angela Yuriko Smith is a third-generation Ryukyuan-American, award-winning poet, author, and publisher with 20+ years in newspapers. Publisher of Space & Time magazine (est. 1966), two-time Bram Stoker Awards® Winner, and HWA Mentor of the Year, she shares Authortunities, a free weekly calendar of author opportunities at authortunities.substack.com.

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