Can you believe it's been nearly seven years since Cyberpunk 2077 first crashed onto our screens? It feels like just yesterday everyone was talking about its rough start, but here we are in 2026, and Night City has never looked--or felt--better. Thanks to years of updates and visual overhauls, players have truly fallen for its vibrant, chaotic open world packed with memorable stories.
Now, in a game filled with corporate enforcers and dangerous gang members you can clash with, you might wonder about the regular folks just trying to get by. Specifically, what about the kids running around the neon-lit alleys? Well, developer CD Projekt RED thought ahead on that one, implementing a surprisingly clever, and frankly important, feature.
Just the other day, a player online tried to use Cyberpunk's photo mode to snap a picture of a cool kid wearing a 'burn corpo shit' t-shirt. And guess what? The kid just... poof! Vanished. Gone without a trace from the camera's view. Turns out, this is a deliberate safeguard. The game's code essentially makes child NPCs immune to being targeted in photo mode. They simply disappear to prevent any... let's call them, unsavory snapshots from happening. It's a smart bit of design that most players wouldn't even notice, but it's there for a reason.
This protection isn't limited to the camera lens, either. A savvy move by the developers. If you try to aim a weapon or swing a melee tool at a child character, the game prevents the interaction entirely. You can't target them.
We all know there are some players out there who like to push the virtual boundaries—think of those infamous Skyrim mods that let you do, well, everything. But the folks at CD Projekt drew a clear line. When asked before launch, a developer stated outright: "You won't be able to attack children or NPCs connected with the plot, but other than that, you can be aggressive towards most people you meet."
The choice makes perfect sense. Night City is overflowing with morally bankrupt corporate stooges and violent gangsters who are all too ready for a fight. There's more than enough conflict to last a player's entire virtual lifetime without needing to involve the younger inhabitants. It's a subtle bit of world-building that shows developers can create a ruthless, adult-themed world while still holding onto certain ethical rails. It’s a feature that’s just... good game design, you know?
So, while you're cruising through the Badlands or causing chaos in Japantown, you can rest assured the kids of Night City are safe from direct player harm. They'll keep on playing in the shadow of megacorporations, blissfully unaware of the digital guardian angel coded into their very existence. A small detail, perhaps, but one that speaks volumes about the thought put into this sprawling, living world years after its initial release. The city might be a dystopia, but it seems even in 2077, some lines aren't meant to be crossed.
\uD83D\uDC41️ The system essentially works like this:
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Photo Mode: Child NPC models are flagged to be invisible to the camera.
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Combat Targeting: Weapons cannot be aimed or fired at child NPCs; melee swings pass through them.
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Narrative Protection: Key story characters are also protected from casual violence.
It’s a feature that's easy to miss if you're just playing normally, but it's a fascinating glimpse into the ethical considerations of game development. A little peace of mind in a world designed for chaos. Go figure.