GAMBARAN PRAKTEK CYBERBULLYING DI GAME ROBLOX BERBASIS AVATAR: STUDI KUALITATIF

Abstrak

Perkembangan game daring telah menciptakan ruang interaksi sosial baru bagi remaja, termasuk melalui penggunaan avatar sebagai representasi identitas digital. Dalam game Roblox, avatar tidak hanya berfungsi sebagai karakter permainan, tetapi juga menjadi simbol identitas yang dapat memengaruhi interaksi antarpemain. Kondisi tersebut membuka peluang munculnya cyberbullying berbasis avatar, yaitu tindakan perundungan yang ditujukan kepada pengguna berdasarkan tampilan atau karakteristik avatar yang digunakan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menggambarkan praktik cyberbullying berbasis avatar dalam game Roblox pada remaja. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode fenomenologi. Informan penelitian terdiri atas lima siswa kelas X SMAN 2 Percut Sei Tuan yang memiliki pengalaman mengalami cyberbullying berbasis avatar dalam permainan Roblox. Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara mendalam, observasi, dan dokumentasi, kemudian dianalisis menggunakan model Miles dan Huberman yang meliputi reduksi data, penyajian data, serta penarikan kesimpulan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa cyberbullying berbasis avatar terjadi dalam bentuk ejekan verbal, stereotip negatif, penghinaan, dan pengucilan sosial. Avatar Bacon menjadi jenis avatar yang paling sering menjadi sasaran cyberbullying karena diasosiasikan sebagai pemain baru, tidak berpengalaman, dan memiliki status sosial yang lebih rendah. Praktik cyberbullying tersebut menimbulkan dampak psikologis berupa rasa malu, minder, takut, kecemasan sosial, serta penurunan kepercayaan diri. Temuan penelitian menunjukkan bahwa avatar telah menjadi bagian dari identitas digital remaja sehingga serangan terhadap avatar sering dimaknai sebagai serangan terhadap diri individu. Dengan demikian, cyberbullying berbasis avatar di Roblox tidak hanya menjadi fenomena digital, tetapi juga memiliki implikasi nyata terhadap kondisi psikologis dan sosial remaja.

The development of online games has created new spaces for social interaction among adolescents, including through the use of avatars as representations of digital identity. In Roblox, avatars function not only as game characters but also as symbols of identity that influence interactions among players. This condition creates opportunities for avatar-based cyberbullying, a form of bullying directed at users based on the appearance or characteristics of their avatars. This study aims to describe avatar-based cyberbullying practices in Roblox among adolescents. The study employed a qualitative approach with a phenomenological method. The participants consisted of five tenth-grade students from SMA Negeri 2 Percut Sei Tuan who had experienced avatar-based cyberbullying in Roblox. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation, and were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman model, including data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings revealed that avatar-based cyberbullying occurred in the form of verbal harassment, negative stereotyping, insults, and social exclusion. Bacon avatars were the most frequent targets of cyberbullying because they were associated with novice players, lack of gaming skills, and lower social status. These experiences resulted in psychological impacts such as embarrassment, insecurity, fear, social anxiety, and decreased self-confidence. The findings indicate that avatars have become an integral part of adolescents’ digital identities, causing attacks on avatars to be perceived as attacks on the individual. Therefore, avatar-based cyberbullying in Roblox is not merely a digital phenomenon but also has significant psychological and social implications for adolescents.