Patrick Ascolese on Video Game Entrepreneurship, Pricing Structure, and Virtual Reality Game Design

Patrick Ascolese is the Founder of Dark Arts Software, a Seattle-based independent virtual reality, gaming, and technology studio. Before his current venture, he lent his expertise as an AR/VR Design Consultant at Meta for nearly a year, where he contributed to the development of its upcoming AR headsets. Patrick began his career at Microsoft over 20 years ago, where he worked as a software development engineer and software designer for Xbox 360 Emulation and Kinect, respectively. He departed Microsoft in 2011 to work at Camouflaj, where he was a founding partner, and left the company after Meta acquired it. In this episode… Virtual reality games have become highly successful than traditional video games due to their immersive and engaging nature. However, as a game developer, there are intricacies of VR that need addressing before fully committing to producing these types of products. Seasoned gaming software developer and designer Patrick Ascolese explains that the formula for a successful video game, such as a VR game, is a product that is simple, fun, and interactive. However, many game developers underestimate the complexity of designing VR products, which require 3D software. Whether you are an aspiring video game developer or gaming entrepreneur committed to creating VR material, Patrick suggests hiring engineers with solid knowledge of physics, game loops, and memory management. In this episode of the Here's Waldo Podcast with Lizzie Mintus, Patrick Ascolese, Founder of Dark Arts Software, discusses video game startups. Patrick shares the challenges that video game developers experience, what is trending in the gaming industry, and advice for aspiring video game professionals and entrepreneurs.