I have learned of a long piece of opinion, written by the CEO of my ex-employer (ex as of a few days ago), comparing the employees laid off last week to non-player characters.
A non-player character (NPC), in the computer game parlance, is a character that is not controlled by a real player, whose raison d’être is to be shot (e.g. in a FPS game) or to serve as background decoration. They have no control of their own life, their action is pre-progammed, and their fate pre-determined.
This comparison, although an apt description of the laid-off employees, is a more interesting revelation of the psyche of the person who made the statement.