‘PBS Game/Show’ Examines Non-Player Characters and Racism in Video Games

PBS Game/Show host Jamin Warren examines non-player characters (NPCs) and racism in video games in a recent episode of the series. This isn’t the first time Warren’s examined racism in video games, but this time he specifically hones in on the sometimes stereotypical design of NPCs.

We’ve already tackled the idea of games being racist here on Game/Show, but what about the characters that populate them? That’s right, those lovely people you get to talk to that send you on your grand quest, the NPCs. Our interactions with them are often all too brief, but is that an excuse for lazy game design that invokes stereotypes?