# 📊 Market Analysis - Workflow Instructions

## Overview

This workflow guides you through comprehensive market research to validate your game concept and find your competitive position.

**Time:** 45-90 minutes  
**Difficulty:** Intermediate  
**Output:** `market-analysis.md`

---

## Step 1: Define Your Game Context

Before we research, I need to understand your game:

1. **Genre/Category:** What type of game is this?
2. **Target Platforms:** PC, Console, Mobile, VR?
3. **Concept Brief:** Share your concept-brief.md or describe the game

---

## Step 2: Competitor Identification

### 2.1 Direct Competitors
Games in the same genre with similar mechanics/experience.

*I'll help identify 3-5 direct competitors based on your concept.*

### 2.2 Indirect Competitors
Different genres but competing for the same audience's time/money.

### 2.3 Aspirational References
Successful games you'd love to be compared to.

---

## Step 3: Competitor Analysis

For each competitor, we analyze:

| Factor | What We Look For |
|--------|------------------|
| **Release Date** | Market maturity |
| **Price Point** | Market expectations |
| **Reviews** | What works/doesn't |
| **Sales Estimate** | Market size |
| **Updates** | Active development? |
| **Community** | Player engagement |

### Analysis Sources
- Steam reviews and stats
- SteamDB for historical data
- Video Game Insights for estimates
- Reddit/Discord communities
- YouTube/Twitch presence

---

## Step 4: Target Audience Profiling

### Demographics
- Age range
- Geographic regions
- Platform preferences
- Spending habits

### Psychographics
- Player motivations (Bartle types)
- Session length preferences
- Social play preferences
- Content consumption habits

### Audience Size Estimation
- Total Addressable Market (TAM)
- Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM)
- Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM)

---

## Step 5: Market Positioning

### Your Unique Position
Where do you fit in the market map?

```
         Premium
            │
   Niche ───┼─── Mainstream
            │
         Budget
```

### Positioning Statement
"For [TARGET AUDIENCE] who want [DESIRE], [GAME NAME] is a [CATEGORY] that [KEY BENEFIT]. Unlike [COMPETITOR], we [DIFFERENTIATOR]."

---

## Step 6: Strategic Recommendations

Based on the analysis:

1. **Market Fit Assessment:** Is there room for this game?
2. **Positioning Recommendations:** How to stand out
3. **Pricing Guidance:** Based on comparable games
4. **Timing Considerations:** When to launch
5. **Risk Factors:** What to watch out for

---

## Output: market-analysis.md

The final document includes:
- Executive Summary
- Competitor Analysis
- Target Audience Profile
- Market Positioning
- Strategic Recommendations
- Risk Assessment

Saved to: `_gdks-output/01-ideation/market-analysis.md`

---

## Next Steps

After market analysis:
1. **Mechanics Exploration** → `@mechanics-explorer` with `*mechanics`
2. **Synthesis** → `@ideation-coordinator` with `*synthesize`

**Ready? Share your concept and let's research!** 📊