Participants described simple design features to better reflect gender diversity, such as increased customization. They also report negative experiences of feeling excluded due to the constraints of conventional notions of gender that are widely reflected in game design. Importantly, TGD young people use avatars to explore, develop and rehearse their experienced gender identities, often as a precursor to coming out in the offline world. TGD young people report considerable therapeutic benefits of using avatars with positive mental health implications. A general inductive approach was used to thematically analyze the transcribed data. N = 17 TGD young people aged 11–22 years (M = 16.3 years) participated in four focus groups. The aim of this study was to better understand the role of the avatar in gaming, its impact on TGD young people’s mental health, and their unique needs regarding avatar design. To date their experiences and needs regarding a key feature of games, the avatar, are largely unexplored, despite increasing interest in the therapeutic role of avatars in the general population. A significant proportion of trans and gender diverse (TGD) young people report membership of the gaming community and resultant benefits to wellbeing.
