Teen reactions to a self-representational avatar: A qualitative exploration

•Four key themes emerged from adolescents’ reactions to an exergame with a self-representational avatar: avatar connection, protection, gameplay, and enjoyment.•Players’ connection with their self-representative avatars motivated them to put in more effort to protect their avatars.•Participants spent 74.9% of the 21.2 ± 0.8 minute gameplay session engaging in vigorous physical activity—our study is one of the first to report this with children playing exergames.•Players reported they focused more on the fun than on the physical activity required to play the game.•Playing an exergame with a self-representational avatar enhances enjoyment, a key factor in behavioral initiation and maintenance. This research presents findings from a qualitative exploration of the reactions of adolescents (12–14 years old) to navigating an exergame with an avatar created from multiple scans of the player (referred to as a self-representational avatar). Post-gameplay interviews were conducted with adolescents following participation in a 20-min laboratory session (21.2 ± 0.8 min, mean ± SD) where the self-representational avatar was navigated through an exergame. Verbatim transcripts (n = 40) were coded and analyzed by 2 independent coders using hybrid thematic analysis for this secondary data analysis. Codes were reviewed to identify themes representing adolescents’ reactions. Four themes emerged. Adolescents connected with their avatars and felt protective toward them, which influenced their actions in the exergame and contributed to their overall game enjoyment. Creating exergames navigated by a self-representational avatar was an enjoyable experience and influenced gameplay. Future research should explore the effect of this approach on gameplay frequency and intensity over time. [Display omitted]