Komunikasi Negatif Terhadap Kerjasama Tim Dalam Permainan Online Game Valorant (Studi Pada UKM Esports UMM Divisi Valorant)

Online games are popular entertainment in the millennial era, played by many people via the internet (Adams, 2013). Now, online games have also become an arena for esports athletes. In Indonesia, esports athletes are members of IeSPA under the auspices of FORMI (Kurniawan, 2019). Valorant, a tactical and teamwork-based FPS game, is very popular with the millennial generation, with two teams of five players facing each other using agents with special abilities. However, the Anti-Defamation League survey via GamesIndustry in 2021 shows that Valorant is the most toxic game, with 79% of players often facing toxic behavior (IndoZone).
This research is about the impact of negative communication on teamwork in UKM Esports UMM Valorant Division using George Herbert Mead's Symbolic Interactionism theory. The results showed that players tended to ignore negative, impersonal communications to maintain focus. Self-identity influenced their responses, with some remaining calm and confident, while others were more reactive. Negative communication within a team is often used to joke and strengthen social bonds, whereas towards opponents it is used to bluff. Understanding these dynamics is important for managing negative communication and improving teamwork.