Is Garrus from Mass Effect…an NPC

I had always wondered if NPC is Non Playable Character in a videogame what about a character like Garrus Vakarian from the Mass Effect series? You can’t play as Garrus but you in Mass Effect unlock him and you can upgrade his skill points as your character improves also and you can even decide what armor or weapons Garrus would use.

Most importantly…Garrus follows you around watching your back in the videogame if you choose him to follow you around, to help you accomplish game objectives….that doesn’t sound very NPCish.

Also Garrus has a whole backstory you unlock more and more over time as the game progresses in Mass Effect as you play more and more that seems a bit more than the average NPC if Garrus is an NPC.

This makes me wonder about characters in videogames that are your companions like Garrus along with the other characters in Mass Effect, Allister from Dragon Age Origins along with the other unlockable companions in that game, your companions from Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and The Old Republic.

Lydia along with the other companions in Skyrim, Piper in Fallout 4 along with the other companions in Fallout 4.

I don’t know what to even categorize companion characters as in the videogame definition cause Garrus is not like a typical NPC with two or 3 pre recorded lines, gives you a quest then disappears for the rest of the game like a the term for NPC? Garrus stays with you for the remainder of the game unless he died in Mass Effect 2.

Also if NPCs exist in real life which SJWs are….what about videogame characters like Garrus from Mass Effect who follow your character around in the game watch your back and level up with your character and has programming in him where you can become friends with him?