Qualitative Evaluation of the Relevance and Acceptability of a Web-Based HIV Prevention Game for Rural Adolescents

•Electronic gaming is an acceptable means of delivering HIV prevention interventions to young rural adolescent.•The UNESCO game in its current format is not optimally designed to suit the needs of most young rural adolescents.•For HIV prevention games to be relevant and acceptable, such games must reflect the daily lives and struggles of potential users.•HIV prevention games must be designed to allow for player control and tailoring to potential users.

African Americans in the rural Southern United States continue to experience disproportionate increases in new HIV/AIDS infections. Electronic gaming interventions hold promise but the use of HIV prevention games is limited. The purpose of this study was to assess the acceptability and relevance of a web-based HIV prevention game for African American rural adolescents. Findings from focus groups conducted with 42 participants suggested that the game was educational and somewhat entertaining but lacking in real-life scenarios and player-control. Findings are congruent with self-efficacy literature and constructivist approaches to learning. Findings have implications for gaming intervention development and further research.