History Main / ArtificialAtmosphericActions

* Disney's ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'':

** "Surprise Party":
*** One part of the plot is that you have to find the pets, then you have to come back because Izzy, Lana's lizard, was forgotten. However, the game makes no mention of Lana's ''other'' pets (Hops the frog, Bitey the rat, and El Diablo the snake) and Luan's rabbit Gary, who, if you want to be inclusive enough to include Lana's lizard, surely they should be included too.
*** The challenge of finding the coolant is that Lana put it in Clyde's locker. But ''why'' would she do that? Lana and Clyde go to the same school, but she's a first-grader and he's a fifth-grader so they don't have much to do with each other.
*** You can't have Clyde collect the pets because he says he's [[PlotAllergy allergic]] to them. Including Walt, who's sat on his shoulder before, Charles, who he's fought with over a sausage before, and Cliff, who's a ''cat'' and Clyde ''owns two cats''.

** And just how many guards could have possibly retired from adventuring due to [[MemeticMutation taking an arrow to the knee]]? Worse, sometimes the dialogue glitches mid-sentence resulting in guards that have retired from adventuring after [[BreadEggsMilkSquick taking an arrow to the wife and kids.]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/Rick&Morty'' episode "M. Night Shaym-Aliens!" the titular protagonists realize they're trapped in an alien dream machine because the backgrounds are looping, townsfolk are repeating phrases, and houses are being repeated. During their escape, they learn Morty's father Jerry is also stuck in the machine, and went through an entire day at "work" without noticing.

* ''Series/WandaVision'': As Vision investigates the edges of town, he finds that outside of Wanda's immediate vincinity, people just repeat the same motions over and over again. At the very edge, they're frozen still, waiting for their cue. All the while, [[AndIMustScream the residents are fully conscious of what's happening to them]].

In some games, {{NPC}}s do various window-dressing activities in order to make the world seem more alive. However, if the actions are used in inappropriate contexts, or if they are used too frequently, it just highlights their artificiality. At best it's distracting, it's often funny, but at worst it's [[UncannyValley scary]].

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' defies this by giving several {{Non Player Character}}s schedules to follow, which tie into the side quests you can do with them (it helps that the game takes place in a three-day GroundhogDayLoop). As a result, there are 3 kinds of {{NPC}}s: Those that do the same thing for all 3 days (though they may have a second thing after you do stuff, such as talking to them or clearing a dungeon, those that follow a schedule (again, some may change with player interaction), and monsters that are just there to attack you. No friendly {{NPC}} is random.

** The civilian {{NPC}}s in the cityscape are much worse off. One of the programmed scripts involves gang members attempting a break-in to one of the generic warehouses. For some reason, the script occasionally triggers on 'trees' raising questions as to the street value of sap.

* ''VideoGame/EveOnline'' has {{NPC}} haulers entering and exiting stations to give the impression of a busy market hub.

* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' typically has nameless {{NPC}}s wandering around social zones doing various tasks. The Foundry LevelEditor even includes programming options to make these happen.

* The PC action-RPG ''VideoGame/{{Gothic}}'' had not only {{NPC}}s who would engage in such mundane activities as cooking food, eating, sleeping, and urinating, but also an entire ecosystem among the various monsters. For example, if the main character killed a mole rat, left the area, and came back, he might witness a pack of wolves devouring the carcass.

* In ''VideoGame/ThiefDeadlyShadows'', characters respond appropriately to bodies or bloodstains, either running away if they're non-combatants, or getting angry and looking for the player if they're fighters. This makes less sense (and can cause the player a lot of trouble) if they were the ones to put the corpse there, or saw some other NPC do it.

** The actual lines used in ''Oblivion'' make you wonder why they even recorded them sometimes, like people talking about who they would go to if they needed info on some random topic that they don't need info on.

->'''NPC 1:''' I saw a mudcrab the other day.\\
'''NPC 2:''' Horrible creatures. I avoid them whenever I can.
-->-- Two {{NPC}}s in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion''

->'''NPC 420:''' I saw a mudcrab the other day.\\
'''NPC 69:''' Horrible creatures. I avoid them whenever I can.
-->-- Two other {{NPC}}s in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion''

** The game occasionally has office missions with dozens of terrified people running about. They're not headed ''for'' anywhere, and can push you around if you get in the way of their path, and can distract you if you have actual hostages to rescue. Better still, civilian [=NPCs=] aren't programmed to jump; thus, anything that's raised even slightly and not an incline is an InsurmountableWaistHighFence. It's pretty hilarious to see an office lady panicking between two boxes and a wall, or in a fountain, or behind a potted plant... you get the idea.

* Thanks to the fact that [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny the bar was pushed so ahead after this game]], the [=NPCs=] in ''VideoGame/BeneathASteelSky'' come off as this. One of the most impressive things about this game period was the fact that the game engine enabled multiple [=NPCs=] onscreen at the same time - not just standing there GoingThroughTheMotions, but actually moving around and acting out some kind of a routine. These days, it comes off as ''incredibly'' bizarre, since some [=NPCs=] will walk back and forth aimlessly, while some other [=NPCs=] who you don't speak to may sometimes enter and exit, or even stand there in place. This actually becomes a bit of FridgeHorror - [[WebVideo/PushingUpRoses Pushing Up Roses]], in her review of the game, pointed out one particular instance in which it looked like an NPC was standing there listening to the player characters' conversation. Considering [[spoiler: that one of the characters the player character was talking to ends up dead later on...]]

* In ''[[VideoGame/DotHackGUGames .hack//G.U.]]'', whenever you run around Root Towns or run into [=NPCs=] in areas, they have speech bubbles above their heads with random things about other people they've met, or things they need to do, or something like that. Their bubbles change whenever Haseo walks near them ranging from, "Oh, Haseo!" to, "It's the Emperor!" if you've beaten that volume's tournament, to, "Are you ready yet?" if you meet one of your party memebers.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' had loads of it. Made you want to use the ball gag you got from failing an arm wrestling mission on Cassidy the 69,105th time he says that his father named him after a character in a book while walking across a street. The fact that he seemed to speak by materializing text that would interfere with your ability to click on things, or read what other people were saying didn't help...

* Both friendly [=NPCs=] and enemies in ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' will often patrol around, but will sometimes do more than just walk, to seem a bit more lively--guards will get lazy and sit down on railings or boxes, while civilians will pick through trash and drunkenly swap stories. It sometimes gets hilarious, such as when a large skag decides to roll on its back in the dirt...with a rider still on his saddle on its back.

* ''VideoGame/{{Postal}}'':
** In ''Postal 2'', [=NPC=]s when they encounter each other often enter into non sequitur-filled conversations ("It's a beautiful day." "If it was up your ass, you'd know."). They can also be seen doing not-very-hygienic things like picking pills up off the ground and eating them. And if the player pulls out a weapon and starts shooting, they're as likely to stand still and stare at the player than attack or run away.
** The Postal Dude (and the player) can use this for shits and giggles; drop a donut on the ground, [[FlushingEdgeInteractivity piss]] [[PottyHumor on it]], and wait. Watch as a citizen [[DonutMessWithACop or even better, a cop,]] walk up and eat it. They begin to gag and belch and soon vomit. Cut off their heads as they vomit and the stump will continue to spew like a garden hose.

** Animals in ''Oblivion'' seem to [[EverythingTryingToKillYou have it in for you]], very rarely they can be seen going after actual prey. This gets pretty immersion breaking when you get to a high level and just want to walk down the road, but your walking armored death machine has to stop and swat away suicidal and pathetically weak lone wolfs and mountain lions literally every 40-50 feet. Or bandits that demand you give them "100 gold or your life", despite carrying around weapons and armor worth roughly 10,000-30,000 gold.

* The random "Glory is mine", "I'll yield to none!", or "Greet the reaper for me!" lines uttered by the characters in ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin2''... as they do things like feign death or cast random buffs.

* ''Series/[[=WandaVision=]]'': As Vision investigates the edges of town, he finds that outside of Wanda's immediate vincinity, people just repeat the same motions over and over again. At the very edge, they're frozen still, waiting for their cue. All the while, [[AndIMustScream the residents are fully conscious of what's happening to them]].

*** "E... e... e... excuse me Nerevarine. It's just that you are a big hero, and I don't know how to talk to ..."
*** If you are sick, even people who are friendly to you say "Yuck, get away from me!" like you are some kind of leper. And the funny thing is, you talk to them, especially Caius, and they seem to forget that you have the equivalent of Leprosy when you ask about certain things.
*** Factions in The Elder Scrolls games, particularly Morrowind, have a bizarre hive mind with them, wherein people who you've never even met will somehow know you are a part of their faction or an enemy of their faction. As one [=YouTuber=] put it, joining most factions is like plastering your armour with political bumper stickers.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'':

--->"I need to talk to you."\\
"I'm listening."\\
"Goodbye."

* Thanks to the fact that [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny the bar was pushed so ahead after this game]], the [=NPCs=] in ''VideoGame/BeneathASteelSky'' come off as this. One of the most impressive things about this game period was the fact that the game engine enabled multiple [=NPCs=] onscreen at the same time - not just standing there GoingThroughTheMotions, but actually moving around and acting out some kind of a routine. These days, it comes off as ''incredibly'' bizarre, since some [=NPCs=] will walk back and forth aimlessly, while some other [=NPCs=] who you don't speak to may sometimes enter and exit, or even stand there in place.
** This actually becomes a bit of FridgeHorror - [[WebVideo/PushingUpRoses Pushing Up Roses]], in her review of the game, pointed out one particular instance in which it looked like an NPC was standing there listening to the player characters' conversation. Considering [[spoiler: that one of the characters the player character was talking to ends up dead later on...]]

--> '''[[spoiler:Mira]]:''' *to her executioner* Let's get this over with.

* In ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'', a NPC using a hammer on a brick wall... complete with woodknocking noise.

* ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' is usually good at avoiding this, but the infamous Milkman Conspiracy level outright parodies it with the G-Men, who attempt to pass as various [=NPCs=] by picking up associated items and having no idea what to do with them.

* Quite annoying with the predator mobs in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''.
** If a critter (rabbit, deer, etc.) strays too close to a predator (lion, tiger, etc.), the predator will rush over and kill them in one blow. Or sometimes they'll stalk them for a while before killing them. But then the predator just turns around and continues walking lazily along. This switches the predators from natural hunters who eat what they kill to psychopathic murderers intent on the eradication of all lesser lifeforms. It would be far better if the predator just dropped onto his chest and started chowing down on the body ([[BloodlessCarnage bloodlessly]], of course).
** The game has instances of random chatter. Some [=NPCs=] even talk about a random character near them if they meet a specific criteria. And the human starting zone had the worker unit from ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} 3'' walking around, complete with the original voiceset. So did the orc/troll starting zone, but those were involved in a quest.
** There was subtle, albeit noticeable improvement in creature interactions in the "Wrath of the Lich King" expansion and following: wolves actually go through eating motions near carcasses, bears fish in the rivers and emerge with actual fish in their mouths, rams head-butting each other, tickbirds ride on rhinos' horns, and most remarkably, drakes in Storm Peaks that kill rhinos and carry them in their talons up to the nests where their hatchlings are.
* The atmospheric actions in ''VideoGame/WarhammerOnline'' can sometimes come across as phony, with characters crying completely at random or wandering around aimlessly.

* In ''VideoGame/GuildWars'', sometimes you will see different factions of mobs fighting others. However, if you step by, they will immediately turn around and start attacking you.

* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' typically has nameless {{NPC}}s wandering around social zones doing various tasks. The Foundry LevelEditor even includes programming options to make these happen.

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' has a standard set of lines a given unit will utter whenever you order it to attack, regardless of circumstances. Thus, we have Arthas, a Paladin, shouting "You are past redemption!" as he charges into battle to slay an ordinary sheep. Must have been an uncommonly sinful barnyard animal. [[{{Squick}} ...on the other hand, let's not think too much about that.]]
* Both ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' and ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' feature a "pause" function for cutscenes, allowing the game to effectively ignore everything that wasn't part of the script. Unfortunately, it doesn't always account for what it's pausing -- it's possible in some cases to have soldiers on opposite sides of a fight staring at each other while the cutscene plays out, or even have missiles hanging in flight for the duration. One of the most egregious examples is "In Utter Darkness": if the Dark Voice starts his EvilGloating during a wave, Zeratul's reply will be given while the protoss and zerg troops stand around, idle animations playing, not five feet from each other.

* In ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'', a NPC using a hammer on a brick wall... complete with woodknocking noise.

* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', [=NPCs=] just walk around randomly. Back and forth, forth and back. This gets a little funny when they walk through your vibrosword.
* In ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' and ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'':
** The characters shout things like "Perish, as you should!" when you have them bash open a door or chest.
** [[CaptainObvious "We both won't walk away from this!"]]
** There are two peasants in part 1 of the original ''NWN'' who walk around in circles having the same conversation every time they bump into each other. EVERY TIME.
** Mook Holding A '''Club''': "AH CARVE YOU UP!"
** Ordering your followers to attack while using the "Innocent Idealist" voice set results in a very quickly grating cry of "You ''have'' to fight! Come on!" every single time...
* In ''Franchise/BaldursGate'' and the other Infinity engine games:
** Certain [=NPCs=] are programmed to leave the area after conversing with the PC. This is typically done by having them walk to the nearest area transition and zone out -- even if this is a locked door or somebody else's house. When there isn't an exit close enough, the NPC will simply ''dematerialize''.
** There was also a problem with Anomen - his battle cry is an impassioned 'For the Order!'... even if in your game, he failed his test, renounced the Order and basically blames them for everything bad that happened in his life. The things people say when you click on them can have this effect too - Solaufein's generic Drow 'Do not question the Matron Mothers' was starting to sound very sarcastic by the end of that storyline.
** ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' (which uses the same UsefulNotes/GameEngine) has a quest to retrieve an item from a shop the quest giver has been barred from. Because the door closest to him is said shop, he tends to walk into the shop he can't go in!

* In ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'', you can hear the chatter of carnival goers in the Murderworld level. Discerning listeners can make out what's being said ("You're too tall for this ride" and so on), but one must wonder where it's coming from, considering that the entire park is designed to kill you. Note that it's entirely in character to have those sounds in Murderworld for the creator of the place, Arcade.
* In ''VideoGame/FableII'':
** Walk into a town where multiple people love you. They will ALL walk up to you and announce their intent to marry you. The game will [[AnnoyingVideoGameHelper add a caption telling you]] can marry someone by presenting a ring. This happens even if you're married... and your spouse is with you... and you don't have any rings to offer in the first place.
** When you take a job, someone will comment on your performance. Sadly they only have about 5 quotes, and you do a lot of work, so it gets repetitive quickly.
* In the {{roguelike}} ''[[http://ivan.sourceforge.net/ IVAN]]'', the choice of words and the topic of conversations of characters is selected at random, often for humorous purposes, eg. hunters discussing trapping wild housewives or skinning tax collectors.

* In ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'', sometimes your character will shout battlecries as they... kick open chests and drawers. [[MundaneMadeAwesome "Your end is near!"]]
* In ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaWarriorWithin'', the Prince will let out a battlecry with every hit, which includes hitting scenery for some extra Sand.
* In ''[[VideoGame/DotHackGUGames .hack//G.U.]]'', whenever you run around Root Towns or run into [=NPCs=] in areas, they have speech bubbles above their heads with random things about other people they've met, or things they need to do, or something like that. Their bubbles change whenever Haseo walks near them ranging from, "Oh, Haseo!" to, "It's the Emperor!" if you've beaten that volume's tournament, to, "Are you ready yet?" if you meet one of your party memebers.

* ''VideoGame/RadiataStories'' manages to avert this much the same way ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'' did: every NPC in the game has a set schedule and interactions. Also, the majority of them are [[GottaCatchEmAll recruitable party members]], giving you reason to stalk them.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastStory'' allows you to knock over baskets of onions, which then [[SlipperySkid knock over the other [=NPCs=] when they step on them]]. Two of them border a plot-important cutscene of Zael discovering Lisa hiding in a wagon. As Zael and Lisa gaze fondly into each others's eyes, oblivious to the rest of the world, [[FunnyBackgroundEvent the randomly-generated passersby hurtle over with comedy 'thunk' sounds]].
* In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', in Castelia City, there are at least two streets that have several rows of NPC Clerk Trainers walking up and down the street. Various phrases from them are shown in text, like "Sorry!" "I'm hungry." "Oh, no!" et cetera. They usually all avoid the player character, although it is possible to talk to a few of them if they bump into you. All of them disappear when you enter the area with the fountain, reappear again in the last street of the city, then disappear again when you travel through the gate. In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', the same thing happens with visitors to your Join Avenue.
* Many NPC townsfolk in ''VideoGame/UltimaV'' have an entire daily routine programmed in, with the potential for slight variation if someone (you) gets in their way. On the one hand, this means characters move around in a vaguely realistic manner; on the other hand, they're still following the exact same schedule, day in, day out, down to each individual step.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' lampshaded this a couple of times. One of the more amusing involved a shopkeeper panicking about how the enemy would take over his store. He gives a moving speech about the fate of his family, and ends with a perky, '...So what will it be?'
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'' attempts to populate inhabited areas as you move about them with generic "filler" townsfolk. Though this ensures that parts of cities aren't empty, it's particularly notable in Academia, where the same four children can be seen running around (and one invariably tripping and falling, to the others' concern) no matter where in the city you are. Likewise, in Bresha Ruins 5 AF, once you've completed the tasks there, you'll perpetually be followed around by soldiers who recite the same pair of lines regarding your successes in missions they gave you.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' does the same as ''XIII-2'', but they handle it a ''lot'' better. That said, it still comes off as quite artificial when a player goes into a town in the middle of the night to find a bunch of townsfolk still loitering around, shopping, and the stores are all open. At that time of night, they don't have much of a reason to be out. The shopkeepers and Quest [=NPCs=] are still around, [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality but that is excusable in order to make a less frustrating game.]]
* The mobile game ''VideoGame/HarryPotterHogwartsMystery'' is typically pretty good about averting this, in that it's a point and click game and you can only talk to characters if they're highlighted, so movement and dialogue are minimal. That said, exiting and re-opening the app can often lead to all background [=NPCs=] doing their normally-syncopated background movements in perfect synchronization.
* The random "Glory is mine", "I'll yield to none!", or "Greet the reaper for me!" lines uttered by the characters in ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin2''... as they do things like feign death or cast random buffs.

* A bug pops up time to time in hostage escort missions that involve multiple hostages in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' and ''VideoGame/CityOfVillains''. If you escorted them to the door, a single hostage will exit through it just fine. But if there is more than one hostage and you try taking them to the door one at a time, you will see them exit but when you go back for the others you might suddenly find that previous hostage following you around still even though the game considers them to have been "rescued".
* And the numerous lightgun FPS arcade games such as ''VideoGame/VirtuaCop'', that [[HostageSpiritLink penalized you for shooting civilians]]? Sure, it makes some degree of sense that a world would be populated by people other than terrorists and aliens and whatnot, but why do the civilians intentionally leap out in front of you and startle you? In places like restricted military bases and terrorist encampments? [[http://xkcd.com/53/ Parodied by xkcd.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{ARMA}} 2'' has squaddie chatter [[MadLibsDialogue dynamically generated out of individual words]]; the words are never the same inflection and oftentimes it sounds like lines are being strung together by ''more than one voice actor.'' ''Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising'' dynamically generates squaddie chatter with ''phrases'' instead, and hits a level of artificiality that just makes it sound ''more'' like realistic military chatter. There are also three different entire sets of intonations that chatter will switch to depending on context.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'':
** The game is famous for its bizarre, probably batshit insane [=NPCs=] that could seemingly '''only''' say things that were massively inappopriate for the situation. ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' mostly averts this by virtue of simply having them not talk most of the time, but will occasionally still provide some real gems. NPC conversations were generated by having one NPC randomly pick from the list of "generic comments" and then another NPC randomly picking from the list of "generic replies", with no relationship between the two. There were a fair amount of both initial comments and replies, and sometimes it seemed like a pretty natural conversation. Other times, you ended up with "Sometimes... I dream of cheese." "Man, if I had a nickel for every time I've heard that..." This is not helped by the relatively small size of the voice cast; a good fifty percent of the time you wind up hearing John Patrick Lowrie TalkingToHimself.
** During scenes in which the [=NPCs=] are apparently talking to Gordon Freeman, no matter what the player decides to have him do, they continue to talk to him as if he's standing right there. This gets rather weird or amusing when the player decides to have Gordon run around the room, check out the walls, or try to write words in the wall with bulletholes and then they're just talking about what Freeman should do next.
* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'':
** Characters will sometimes randomly hold their crotch and squat like they have to use the bathroom. After this they will go on like nothing happened.
** While exploring [[HubLevel Carrington Institute]], random coworkers will often spout random lines when you approach them. Sometimes they will tell you that they're very busy, and then sit stock-still and stare at their desk.
* ''VideoGame/{{Postal}}'':
** In ''Postal 2'', [=NPC=]s when they encounter each other often enter into non sequitur-filled conversations ("It's a beautiful day." "If it was up your ass, you'd know."). They can also be seen doing not-very-hygienic things like picking pills up off the ground and eating them. And if the player pulls out a weapon and starts shooting, they're as likely to stand still and stare at the player than attack or run away.
** The Postal Dude (and the player) can use this for shits and giggles; drop a donut on the ground, [[FlushingEdgeInteractivity piss]] [[PottyHumor on it]], and wait. Watch as a citizen [[DonutMessWithACop or even better, a cop,]] walk up and eat it. They begin to gag and belch and soon vomit. Cut off their heads as they vomit and the stump will continue to spew like a garden hose.
* Both friendly [=NPCs=] and enemies in ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' will often patrol around, but will sometimes do more than just walk, to seem a bit more lively--guards will get lazy and sit down on railings or boxes, while civilians will pick through trash and drunkenly swap stories. It sometimes gets hilarious, such as when a large skag decides to roll on its back in the dirt...with a rider still on his saddle on its back.
* In ''VideoGame/HomerTheFlandersKiller'', there are several problems (despite it being OutOfCharacter for [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]] to be a killer in the first place). Firstly, the Flanderses just stand around while their neighbour is trying to kill them without so much as wondering what's gotten into him or calling the cops. They also walk on the roof sometimes. Additionally, sometimes other characters like Moe and Apu show up, also oblivious to both Homer's and the Flanderses' out-of-character behaviour.

* Done in ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' - characters will frequently do or carry things related to their occupation, so it's not uncommon to see Carlos and Carmen fishing, one of the witches at their cauldron, Daria painting, or just a group of people chatting with each other. Characters will also sometimes go to the "date spots" in the dungeons, or just randomly go to the beach (with [[FanService swimsuits]]) during summer. They even come into your house on occasion if you're friends.
* ''VideoGame/TheSims'':
** In ''VideoGame/TheSims1'', non-playable sims will try to swim in your pool even if they don't know you.
** In ''VideoGame/TheSims2'', townies are notorious for randomly grabbing babies and trying to feed them. Also, sims will always do things in apartments - while this does keep the apartment from looking dead, it becomes really weird when you see your neighbours return home from work and immediately start swinging. They ''always'' go for the swings. OR they go upstairs and play music. Or they go to the bar (if it's in there) and try to drink something that may have been out there for hours.
** ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' has a few odd AI quirks, depending on how far you patch and/or mod your game. One that stands out in particular is the way non-controlled Sims seem to flock to public lots if you're on them. This at least prevents, say, the city park from looking too empty. The problem comes when your nocturnal Sim decides to visit the ghosts in the graveyard, and lickity-split a businessman, a housewife, and a schoolgirl show up -- at 2AM on a Tuesday. They have no reason for showing up, and proceed to mill about aimlessly until you leave, or until their schedule finally kicks in, causing them to run top-speed off the lot.
** ''VideoGame/SimCity 4'':
*** The sims often have [[DrivesLikeCrazy bizarre driving habits]]. This normally didn't matter, but on driving missions it became annoying.
*** It is a known fact that all auto manufacturers install a bolt that keeps the accelerator at 50 miles an hour, no matter where the car is going. In general, when an emergency vehicle goes down the road, the cars just careen out of the way on to the side walk like a giant laser beam was heading down the road.
*** Coupled with ArtificialStupidity, the Sims you can place to live in the city just have odd habits and things that make you go "why would you do that?". The most jarring show cases the problem of the default path-finding algorithm, where a Sim can't find his/her place of work... when it's across the intersection.
*** In the previous game, ''Sim City 3000'', the freight trains would actually stop and wait for the automobile traffic.
** Even more amusing when the neighbors do something funny like ''take a BATH'' in your house or freeload in your pool. In ''VideoGame/TheSims1'', visiting sims would almost ''always'' take a dip in your pool no matter how rude it was to take a dip in the new neighbors' pool.
** ''VideoGame/TheSimsMedieval'':
*** People who are carrying swords, when they're not the active Sim, sometimes sharpen their swords, wait a few minutes, and then sharpen them again. In the "Pirates and Nobles" expansion, there's the addition of pet parrots and hawks, which inactive Sims seem to like calling, dismissing and recalling repetitively.
*** The Monarch can hold court and hear petitions from his/her people. The problem is that there is that the petition are picked at random, not taking into account the sims' actual background leading to things like characters who are already parents asking permission to have children and leaders from foreign territories asking for money to save their farms.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' licensed games:
** "Welcome to the Loud House" is generally well-constructed, but there is one oddity regarding Lily. Sometimes, [[VisibleOdor a stink cloud]] will show up around her as though she needs a diaper change, only to go away without intervention.
** In "Lights Out", some characters will speak in third person (because the AI thinks it's Lincoln talking).
** "Surprise Party":
*** One part of the plot is that you have to find the pets, then you have to come back because Izzy, Lana's lizard, was forgotten. However, the game makes no mention of Lana's ''other'' pets (Hops the frog, Bitey the rat, and El Diablo the snake) and Luan's rabbit Gary, who, if you want to be inclusive enough to include Lana's lizard, surely they should be included too.
*** The challenge of finding the coolant is that Lana put it in Clyde's locker. But ''why'' would she do that? Lana and Clyde go to the same school, but she's a first-grader and he's a fifth-grader so they don't have much to do with each other.
*** You can't have Clyde collect the pets because he says he's [[PlotAllergy allergic]] to them. Including Walt, who's sat on his shoulder before, Charles, who he's fought with over a sausage before, and Cliff, who's a ''cat'' and Clyde ''owns two cats''.
** In "Summer School", you can change the time to make it day or night, which leads to characters spending several nights at the same place in a row.

* Avoided in ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'' where each character has a predefined schedule. They start appearing around morning (with only a few drunks around early morning) they go shopping, then later they may go to bars and then later make their way home. Why they didn't react to somebody walking directly behind them all day and asking them questions like "Do you remember the day the snow turned to rain?" is another matter.

* Numerous examples with the NPC dialog in the ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' series. The best: [[spoiler:A civilian in the second game says something along the lines of "Well, the Brotherhood is done for. You going to bring Carlos back next?" while Carlos's zombified corpse beats the guy next to him with a nightstick.]] In the same game your character will actually 'join in'' e.g. cheerleading or use background items (weightlifting in the prison).
* ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'' has a lot of them. In creature stage, you'll occasionally see other species fighting each other, but it's most visible in tribal stage; if your tribe members are just hanging out in the village not doing anything, they'll often interact with each other, "saying" things (with pictures in speech bubbles), and occasionally even punching each other.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'':
** Sometimes you can hear citizens talk about rather strange stuff, or see a prep suddenly wander ''right'' into the autoshop and then start fighting the Greasers. Sometimes you'll see prefects completely ignore when someone gets knocked out or pushed into a trash can, and it becomes even more hilarious if you stuff a Prefect into a trash can, hide in a locker, and then come back to watch a prefect ''walk past their fellow prefect'' struggling to get out of the trash can.
** The "Kick Me" signs have this; although it's one of the more amusing examples. The way they're programmed, just about ''anyone'' will run over and kick the student with the sign on their back. Girls and kids who don't normally attack will kick them. Heck, even the ''prefects'' and the ''gym teacher'' might go over and kick the target!
* ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade'':
** The game has moments where you're allowed to enter villages and towns. There are villagers wandering around, but none of them ever do anything other than wander, and all you can talk to any of them about is the town you're in, which all of them have the exact same knowledge and opinion on. They never talk to eachother, but it sort of works as long as you're not in the villages for too long. You can also see travelling villagers moving between towns on the world map, and you can even attack them.
** Mods can compound the silliness. For example, there is a star wars mod for the original mount and blade. Said mod adds bounty hunters to towns who will randomly attack you which works pretty well, except that nobody else on the map responds to it on the slightest. Including the guards. Even if you ''own that planet''. It also adds bar fights, which are still very amusing as the bartender cannot jump over the bar to actually join the fight (but will keep trying) and the fact that an unarmed rodian will decide to try to take on a wookie or fully armored bounty hunter.
* ''VideoGame/{{Mafia}}'' freeride shows that the only concern for the Lost Heaven Police Department is Tommy. He can anger mafia goons and use a police car as a bullet sponge. The cops wont do anything untill Tommy defends himself.

* In ''Build a City'', a LicensedGame of ''Series/MeToo'', when your city goes dark at night, all the NPC's disappear, except, inexplicably, for one little boy, who's still animated sliding down the slide at nighttime.
* ''VideoGame/OperationYouthClub'':
** Sometimes, you will be informed that you're waking the neighbours, even if it's the middle of the day.
** Characters will claim that the smoke from the barbecue is getting in their eyes and the only way to stop is to get rid of the barbecue. They never consider, y'know, ''not standing right next to it''.
** This one guy is always jumping on the trampoline 24/7 and when there's no trampoline, he'll be jumping up and down on the lawn.

* In ''Film/TheTrumanShow'', Truman notices "A lady on a red bike, followed by a man with flowers, and a Volkswagen beetle with a dented fender. [...] [[ParanoiaFuel They're on a loop. They go around the block, they come back, they go around again!]]"

* Glitches in Film/TheMatrix can cause that to happen. Notably, in the first film, Neo sees a black cat walking past, turns away, looks back and sees the same black cat walking past, making the same movements. Déjà vu in The Matrix usually happens when the Machines change something; therefore, when Neo mentions it, Trinity has an OhCrap moment.
* In lots of movies and television shows background extras just mill about not doing anything in particular, or doing ''only'' one thing in particular. This can get amusing if you pay attention to it.
** Especially amusing for people who can read lips. In an article on soap operas, a deaf friend of the writer said that one extra on ''Series/CoronationStreet'' was telling another about his time on ''Series/{{Eastenders}}''. (Not that the other actor was likely to have heard it, since extras are explicitly instructed to move their lips without actually making any sound, so as to maintain the atmosphere without drowning out the plot-important dialogue.)
** Creator/PattonOswalt once stood completely still for several minutes appearing in a party scene on ''Series/TheKingOfQueens''.

* In the live-action ''Film/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians1996'' the same set of barking sound effects is used whenever the crowd of 99 puppies goes anywhere.

* In ''Memories Of The Future'' Creator/WilWheaton recalls a scene from ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Encounter at Farpoint]]'' where they're in a market. Wil and Gates [=McFadden=] thought that the audience would notice the people looping behind them background. The director patiently noted that if the audience did notice, then they weren't doing their job in the foreground.

* Background characters in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' are always doing something. Sometimes they're conversing with poles, but the point is they're not just standing around like lumps. This often leads to a FunnyBackgroundEvent or two, like a man arguing with a ''pole'' and then apparently ''losing'' the argument, only to curl up into a fetal position.

[[folder:Action]]
* In ''VideoGame/MirrorsEdge'', there's one point where you can knock an enemy off a building. If you look down to where his body is lying in the middle of the street, you'll see cars and pedestrians going right past - or even right over - the corpse. It's eerie, but somehow it kind of fits with the {{Dystopia}}n PostCyberPunk setting.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Action Adventure]]
* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'':
** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'':
*** The game has side-missions that require you to save civilians from harassment by guards. The citizens will watch you kill the guards, then thank you. They may then spot the guards' bodies and ask "Who could have done such a thing?" There's also the horde of beggars, ignoring the rich noblemen to pester the angry-looking swordsman like a cloud of blackflies, buzzing "Just a few coins, that's all I ask..." "No, YOU don't understand, I have NOTHING!" It's even funnier when they sound like they're having a conversation with each other. "I'm poor, I'm sick..." "Who did this!"
*** The guards themselves can get into this. You can hop out from behind a corner and trigger a "There he is!" and then immediately hop back behind and hear a "Where is he?!".
** This improves in the Ezio Trilogy. You now have people doing more than just wander about, carrying things to and fro. People can be seen sweeping and cleaning, performing day to day maintenance on buildings and various other things such as fences, farmers are tilling the fields, etc. By Brotherhood and Revelations, you will occasionally see people standing in front of shops, as if they're about to purchase things, holding scripted conversations with the shop owners. Heck, you even come across picnickers and revelers out in the countryside in Rome and you'll come across street performers in Constantinople.
** Things improved steadily in the next games, but then sent back to square one in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII''. In the Brazil mission, citizens don't let things like gunfire coming from a VIP box and a hooded criminal fighting security officers distract them from their routine of walking in circles and idly chatting up their buddies.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' defies this by giving several {{Non Player Character}}s schedules to follow, which tie into the side quests you can do with them (it helps that the game takes place in a three-day GroundhogDayLoop). As a result, there are 3 kinds of {{NPC}}s: Those that do the same thing for all 3 days (though they may have a second thing after you do stuff, such as talking to them or clearing a dungeon, those that follow a schedule (again, some may change with player interaction), and monsters that are just there to attack you. No friendly {{NPC}} is random.
* In ''VideoGame/ThiefDeadlyShadows'', characters respond appropriately to bodies or bloodstains, either running away if they're non-combatants, or getting angry and looking for the player if they're fighters. This makes less sense (and can cause the player a lot of trouble) if they were the ones to put the corpse there, or saw some other NPC do it.
* ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' is usually good at avoiding this, but the infamous Milkman Conspiracy level outright parodies it with the G-Men, who attempt to pass as various [=NPCs=] by picking up associated items and having no idea what to do with them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Adventure]]
* Thanks to the fact that [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny the bar was pushed so ahead after this game]], the [=NPCs=] in ''VideoGame/BeneathASteelSky'' come off as this. One of the most impressive things about this game period was the fact that the game engine enabled multiple [=NPCs=] onscreen at the same time - not just standing there GoingThroughTheMotions, but actually moving around and acting out some kind of a routine. These days, it comes off as ''incredibly'' bizarre, since some [=NPCs=] will walk back and forth aimlessly, while some other [=NPCs=] who you don't speak to may sometimes enter and exit, or even stand there in place.
** This actually becomes a bit of FridgeHorror - [[WebVideo/PushingUpRoses Pushing Up Roses]], in her review of the game, pointed out one particular instance in which it looked like an NPC was standing there listening to the player characters' conversation. Considering [[spoiler: that one of the characters the player character was talking to ends up dead later on...]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Driving Games]]
* The pedestrians in ''VideoGame/{{Driver}} 2'' would scream and run if you came close. Understandable when you're driving a car at them. Strange in the missions where you're on foot. Some players speculate that Tanner's model is holding a gun, which is why carjacking is so easy and why pedestrians run screaming. The model is too undetailed for a definite interpretation, though.

[[folder:Interactive Fiction]]
* The long-ago text-based game of ''Literature/TheHobbit'' already incorporated this sort of action, resulting activities ranging from game-ending (the butler who unlocks the door in the elves' prison is already dead when you're caught, trapping you in jail) to fridge brilliant (orcs and elves capture each other and put each other in their prisons, despite not being intended to).
* In ''VideoGame/TelltalesGameOfThrones'', the reactions of characters oftentimes don't ''quite'' align with the current situation or what's being said.
--> '''Crowd:''' Fucking traitor! Murderer! Kill her!
--> '''[[spoiler:Mira]]:''' *to her executioner* Let's get this over with.
--> '''Crowd:''' A noble death! What a brave woman! Have mercy on her!
* Losing at [[https://www.lavasurfer.com/pooh/poohstory this]] interactive ''Literature/WinnieThePooh'' story results in Eeyore saying, "Sorry you couldn't help. At least you had time to say hello", even if he wasn't nearby when you did the thing that made you lose.

** ''VideoGame/TheSimsMedieval'', the Monarch can hold court and hear petitions from his/her people. The problem is that there is that the petition are picked at random, not taking into account the sims' actual background leading to things like characters who are already parents asking permission to have children and leaders from foreign territories asking for money to save their farms.

** People in ''VideoGame/TheSimsMedieval'' who are carrying swords, when they're not the active Sim, sometimes sharpen their swords, wait a few minutes, and then sharpen them again. In the "Pirates and Nobles" expansion, there's the addition of pet parrots and hawks, which inactive Sims seem to like calling, dismissing and recalling repetitively.

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'': Villagers, when another villager is dying, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dENNRBepWro don't try to help him/her/it]]. Somewhat justified if the villager is being attacked, because [[ActualPacifist villagers aren't programmed to use violence]], but this applies even if the villager is in danger from something natural, such as fire.

* In the live-action ''Film/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'' the same set of barking sound effects is used whenever the crowd of 99 puppies goes anywhere.