←Recommendations of Non-Player Character

One of the only pieces of media, I've encountered, that accurately reflects the world of women in games and GamerGate. Katja is so incredibly smart, and I love following her on her journey as she survives the cyber harassment all too many are used too. I was very lucky to have a chance to direct this show, and the amount of women, even non gamers, who connected with her story never fails to blow me away. I hope this show gets produced more, I cannot express how special it is to me.

A revealing piece on gender and video games as the relationship spirals and revenge is unleashed. Well done.

I have a huge admiration for anyone who can craft good dark comedies and Walt McGough is now added to my list. This play is beautiful, stark, raw, and real and I applaud this play for tackling current issues like toxic masculinity and cyber harassment with humanity and truth.

Wow! What a lovely, nuanced, well-crafted play. McGough has economically chosen a potent set of scenes that, stitched together, both tell this story really well while also doing right by all of his multi-dimensional characters. Katja has a compelling character arc, and her antagonistic relationship with Trent is both painful and truthful. Unsettling realities about toxic masculinity and social oppression of women across digital and analog worlds are paired alongside frequent genuinely hilarious moments that keep this play absorbing and briskly paced. I hope to see a production soon!

A really fantastic, expertly crafted piece to read and envision, NPC sheds light on a gender bias in the technology and digital entertainment industries that not enough people are talking about. Gamergate didn't go away and it might even be worse than ever. Every internet troll needs to see and understand this piece. Will they? Probably not. But one can hope.

Inventive female driven comedy that's smart, playful, and hopeful. There are punches. There is wit. There is beauty.

I love this play. It's a smart, hilarious, and insightful look into gender, video games, and relationships. It offers amazing opportunities for actors, designers, and directors.

It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Walt McGough and their play Non-Player Character as a finalist for our 2016 National Playwrights Conference. The play rose through a competitive, anonymous, multileveled selection process that took nearly nine months to execute. As one of 54 finalists out of more than 1,450 submissions, the strength of its writing has allowed this work to prosper in such a competitive selection process. Our readers especially appreciated how the timeless story of two lonely people trying to cope shines through the specific, vivid, and theatrical setting within the world of video games.