Where did the NPC meme come from?

The NPC, short for Non-Player Character or NPC Wojak, is an Internet meme symbolizing individuals who lack independent thought or decision-making abilities, often characterized by a deficiency in introspection and interpersonal communication. This meme gained significant traction, particularly on TikTok, notably through the emergence of “NPC Streamers.” Within political discourse, it has been employed by those critical of established authority to describe individuals who uncritically accept norms, exhibit groupthink tendencies, or conform obediently to prevailing ideologies.

Originating from the graphic style of the Wojak meme, the NPC meme was conceived in July 2016 by an anonymous creator and initially circulated on the imageboard 4chan. It surged in prominence during the presidency of Donald Trump, drawing attention from various media outlets, such as The Verge, the BBC, and The New York Times, which portrayed it as a favored insult within pro-Trump circles and a symbol embraced by far-right commentators. InfoWars, a far-right platform, even hosted a competition to generate NPC memes, with the winning entry receiving endorsement from Trump himself via Twitter. By 2022, the NPC meme had extended its reach to the popular video-sharing platform TikTok.