Forming an Opportunity Belief

1) Through experience, I believe there is an untapped opportunity for an online roleplay/social deduction game designed for long-distances.

2) I am 90% certain this opportunity exists. The other 10% is there because there may be a software out there I haven't found, or someone may have already designed an rpg or social deduction game that satisfies the need I've described.

1. People move away, it is unavoidable. Friends go off to college, family moves out of state, people you enjoyed spending time with now are only accessible through phone calls and online games. These are well and good, but no phone call or game of Minecraft will give the same enjoyment and connection as sitting down and playing a board game with your friends and/or family.
2. I used to play board games with my friends and family all the time: Secret Hitler, Twilight Imperium, D&D, Betrayal at the House on the Hill. Now that I'm in college, a lot of my friends are back home, and my family members are in different cities or states, I'm unable to enjoy those battles of wits, those sessions of creativity, those truly enjoyable times of bonding. I'm certain a lot of other people used to enjoy these same pastimes, and now have the same issue as I do.
3. This need has existed always existed.
4. There are a few websites and softwares that try to bridge the gap between players: roll20, dnd beyond, tabletop simulators. However, they are a patch to an issue, and a lack-luster one at that. They are clunky and subtract from the experience by software difficulties. Online games as well, while enjoyable, do fill the same craving as sitting down and accusing your friend of being a Fascist, or having to reroute your whole campaign in D&D because the players don't want to follow the omen you spent hours coming up with. For those of you who don't know, that was a reference to the social deduction game Secret Hitler, I'm not actually accusing anyone of fascism.

3a) The prototypical customer is anyone who enjoys board games, social deduction games, or RPGs that used to play with their friends and family, but can't now because those people are gone. It may sound very niche, but think back to how many friends you've had to leave behind, and now look at the booming market for board games and such.

4a)

What is the exact nature of the need?

A steep learning curve in RPG softwares like roll20, and a lack of ability to really conceptualize your idea to the players

How long have they had the need?

At least 5 or 6 years now. Their family eventually joined them at college, but now they're going away to grad school in another state.

When did they become aware of the need? Why?

When they moved away to college, they couldn't play RPGs with their old group of friends and family.

How are they currently addressing their need? How satisfied are they with this solution?

Tried using roll20 several times, even payed for a pack designed to help with the roleplay experience, but still can't get the players or themselves hooked.

3b) The prototypical customer's description remains the same as last iteration. The interview was with a different person, however.

4b) What is the exact nature of the need?

A group of friends they used to play RPGs with now lives in several different states.

How long have they had the need?

A couple years.

When did they become aware of the need? Why?

They move around a lot, so as soon as they moved away from that group the first time

How are they currently addressing their need? How satisfied are they with this solution?

They use a tabletop simulator bought off of Steam literally called Tabletop Simulator that works pretty well for them. It's a little clunky to use, and takes time to understand, but once they all beat the learning curve it worked fine.

3c) The prototypical customer still remains of the same description.

4b) What is the exact nature of the need?

Software issues in RPG simulators like bad camera quality and lag. Also, a lack of physical objects to play with.

How long have they had the need?

Since most of their friends that play these games moved out about 3 years ago.

When did they become aware of this need? Why?

Since before those friends moved out they realized they wouldn't have anyone to goof off with.

How are they currently addressing their need? How satisfied are they with this solution?

Tried roll20 once and couldn't understand it, now plays with another group of friends, but prefers the GM style of the old group. (GM stands for Game Master, which is the person that designed the campaign in D&D and controls the story that the players go through. Each person has their own style)

5) There apparently are a few softwares out there that attempt to satisfy this need, but again, they seem to be a bandage over a problem. With a game designed for play over video-chat that could even take advantage of some of the options that these softwares offer, like muting and turning off cameras, there would be no problem to bandage over.

7) I am now down to 80% certainty that my opportunity is there. Some software issues seem unavoidable: lag, bad camera/sound quality. Also, possibly going into the RPG market would be a little futile, given the near-monopoly of D&D. That doesn't ruler out social deduction games however.

I believe a lot of ideas I had about the opportunity have been trimmed away. RPGs are difficult to design, let alone design for use over computers. They require a transferring of imagination between GM and player, which is difficult to do over a video camera. And there are plenty of simple RPGs in the market that may be what my opportunity would turn into, should I continue down that path.

I believe entrepreneurs should allow customer feed-back to sharpen their idea, not shave away at it entirely. Use their ideas and their needs to hone your own. How could yours fix this problem? By losing this segment of the idea and retaining this one? I hope that makes sense.