Player2: We need anti-virus support near the west wing!

the article explores lexical means of expressing the “Self – Other” opposition in English-language game discourse, which constitutes a digital form of communication. The aim of the study is to identify and classify lexical markers of identity and alienation that construct binary opposition within the framework of team interaction. The analysis is based on in-game utterances, where the communicative strategy focuses on distinguishing allies from opponents through lexical resources. The key mechanisms of this opposition are identified as prefixal and suffixal formations, core lexical items, and stable expressions with a pragmatic marking function. It is shown that such language units not only describe in-game events but also shape the image of an ally or an adversary. The findings may be applied in media linguistics, cognitive linguistics, and foreign language teaching in the context of contemporary digital communication.

“self–other” opposition, game communication, lexical markers, identity, group solidarity, linguistic aggression, game chats, team speech