Verbal Communication, Coordinated Effort, and Performance in Esports Teams: An Expert-Nonexpert Paradigm Study.

Abstract

Verbal communication among expert and nonexpert esport team players during active gameplay of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) was observed and analyzed. By analyzing 4,040 in-game statements comprising 22,490 words (15,727 made by experts and 6,763 by nonexperts) across eight matches, we examined communication characteristics, such as content, frequency, pace, and distribution. Expert teams communicated more frequently and effectively than nonexpert teams, using predominantly factual and action-related statements while maintaining a significantly faster communication pace. Moreover, expert teams demonstrated a more balanced distribution of speakers, indicating shared responsibility among team players. A sequential analysis revealed that expert teams' players strategically transitioned between uncertainty-to-acknowledgement statements, and frequently transitioned between factual-to-factual and action-to-action statements. In contrast, nonexpert teams' players transitioned more between nontask-related statements and statements expressing emotions. These findings underscore the importance of efficient, task-relevant communication during active gameplay in fostering team shared mental models, rapid decision making, and effective team performance.