MEDIA YOUTUBE SEBAGAI RUANG KOMUNIKASI NONVERBAL (Analisis Isi Pada Video “Champion of Valorant Challengers Indonesia Split 2” di Channel BOOM Esports)

In the modern era, technology plays an essential role in daily life, particularly as a means of communication through the internet. One of its forms is video games presented on the YouTube platform. This research focuses on the BOOM Esports YouTube video featuring the Valorant game tournament, aiming to analyze Paul Ekman’s theory of nonverbal communication as classified by Deddy Mulyana in his book “Ilmu Komunikasi Suatu Pengantar.” This study employs a qualitative descriptive research method using content analysis on the BOOM Esports YouTube video content, with data collected through video documentation. The findings of this research indicate that Valorant players from BOOM Esports use eight out of ten categories of nonverbal communication, namely body language, empathetic touch, paralanguage, spatial orientation and personal distance, silence, physical appearance, color, and artifacts. These forms of nonverbal communication not only strengthen interactions among players but also help build team cohesion and motivation. Two categories of nonverbal communication—time concept and olfactics (use of smell)—were not found in this study.