In tough economic times the conventional entrepreneurial wisdom is: “Start a business that unambiguously saves people money or time.”
True. But it might also be a good time to start a business that helps people (especially unemployed people) waste their newfound free time.
For example, I think it’s a great time to be in the online gaming space.
I agree – I run an online game and I do feel I am providing a useful service to my players, and that is even more true with the economic troubles some of them are facing.
You could call it helping them “waste their time”, or, I think more accurately, giving them a way to escape reality for some time.
It’s the same reason Hollywood tends to do well during recessions — real life is filled with a lot of bad news, so people look for escapism.