Increasing exergame physical activity through self and opponent avatar appearance

•We manipulated the appearance of self and opponent avatars in an exergame.•Using a normal weight (vs. obese) avatar boosted physical activity in real life.•Physical activity was increased when self and opponent avatars had normal weight.•Physical activity decreased when self and opponent avatars were obese.

We investigated how manipulating self and opponent avatar weight (normal vs. obese) affected people’s physical activity in real life as they played an exergame. While playing virtual tennis, female players operating a normal weight self avatar were more physically active relative to those using an obese self avatar. Participants physically exerted themselves the most when both self and opponent had normal weight avatars, implying increased physical activity when self and opponent avatars look equally fit. The study also identified conditions that discouraged physical activity (e.g., normal weight self avatar vs. an obese opponent). The findings were congruent with priming and social comparison models, and illustrated how virtual social cues can be leveraged to influence health behaviors via exergames.