A new study suggests that giving teenagers a video game character to design before an interview could unlock deeper conversations about identity, self-image, and mental health than traditional face-to-face methods alone. Researchers found that young people were far more willing to discuss personal struggles, insecurities, and aspirations when they could speak through or about a digital avatar they had created themselves.
The research, published in Qualitative Research in Psychology, introduces a six-step method called avatar-based interviewing (ABI). Developed by Matthew Pulis of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Luke Joseph Buhagiar of the University of Malta, the approach places avatar creation at the centre of the research interview rather than treating it as a topic on the side.
The method was tested with 23 teenagers aged 14–15 attending Catholic schools across Malta. Each participant used the role-playing game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to design a character that represented something about who they are. The game was chosen partly because it was unfamiliar to the age group, ensuring that no participant had an unfair advantage and that choices reflected genuine self-expression rather than gaming habit.
What emerged was striking. Many participants added scars to their avatars to represent past trauma, personal growth, and lived experience. Others designed characters who were more confident or fierce than they felt in real life, using the avatar to articulate an idealised version of themselves. Some chose simple, generic-looking characters as a quiet protest against the noise and complexity of modern digital life.
Researchers identified three main themes from the conversations: a sense of personal uniqueness tied to imperfection and lived experience, a feeling of being a survivor shaped by bullying and social pressures, and a shared longing for a simpler lifestyle away from the relentless demands of screens and social media. These themes might never have surfaced in a conventional interview setting, where teenagers often feel guarded or self-conscious speaking directly to an adult researcher.
One of the most notable findings was how quickly participants relaxed once they had spent time designing their avatar. A timid teenager who began the session visibly nervous became notably more at ease by the time the character creation stage was complete. The avatar appeared to act as a buffer, giving young people something concrete to discuss that was close to themselves but not quite themselves, reducing the emotional risk of self-disclosure.
The study argues that this kind of mediated interviewing, where an object or creative artefact sits between interviewer and interviewee, has long been used in qualitative research but has never before placed a self-designed digital avatar so centrally in the process. The researchers believe ABI could be extended beyond identity research into areas such as mental health, grief, and existential wellbeing.
ABI is also designed to give young participants something closer to a co-researcher role. Rather than simply answering questions, they are making creative choices and interpreting those choices themselves, which shifts the power dynamic in ways that more conventional interviewing rarely achieves.