ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the role of non-player characters (NPC). Final Fantasy VI's NPC content is compared statistically with two other games: Majora's Mask and Tales of Symphonia. Directions are the most obvious form of communication from the designer and are given through NPCs. Allusions are ironic instructions like the previous category, but they have one special requirement: they must leave out one essential portion of the necessary information. Conditions are NPC statements about the interactivity of a game play element. Reactions are a class of narrative NPC dialogue that emphasizes the player's agency and participation in the world of the game. Situational reactions consist of NPC dialogue that reflects some change in the game-world that the player was involved with, but which do not directly give credit to the player for that change. Characterization is an enormously important thing, especially in a game with a large roster of playable characters.
