Patro Powered by Passion: Games, Systems, and Infinite Learning

👋 Hello, world! I'm Patrocinio!

Hi everyone! My name is Luis Felipe, but I'm best known by my last name: Patrocinio (or just Patro!). I've wanted to start an online profile to share my journey, projects, and ideas with the Dev community for a long time --- and I'm so excited to finally begin!

For this first post, I thought it would be cool to share a bit about myself, my background, and some key decisions that led me here --- decisions that changed not just my career, but also the way I view technology and creativity.

🎮 From Hobbyist to Professional Game Developer

My journey started with a passion for making games just for fun. Around 2015, while I was still studying Accounting, I teamed up with a close friend to help with some of the bureaucracy and accounting issues of his game studio. I had no idea that distant first contact would change everything.

That experience made me realize that creating games wasn’t out of reach, so I dove into programming --- making small projects to play with friends, always learning from tutorials and participating in gamedev communities (which opened my eyes to incredible new possibilities!).

Today, many years later, I run my own game studio Black Hole Games and also collaborate with other studios, building projects of all sizes and for all kinds of platforms. Game development is part of my everyday life --- it’s how I learn, how I create, and how I connect with others.

I frequently participate in game jams and have published dozens of games on my itch.io profile --- many built under super tight deadlines, starting from wild ideas that became fun little games. You can check them out! o/

💡 Technology as a Form of Creative Expression

To improve my skills, I joined a degree program in Technology in Systems Analysis and Development. I’m always channeling what I learn into game development --- whether it’s data structures, software engineering, web server creation, or AI.

More recently, I’ve had the chance to dive into a totally new world: Embedded Systems.

I’ve fallen completely in love with low-level hardware programming using C. It’s opening my mind to an entirely different layer of computing. Building everything from absolute scratch is a whole new level of challenge --- and I’m hooked!

It's amazing to think that sitting at a desk, typing sequences of code instructions, allows us to create authentic applications --- from games that deliver fun to systems that control real-world actions. That power to create is what drives me.

🚀 What to Expect Here

I'll be sharing posts about:

• 🎮 Game development experiences and insights (mainly GameMaker and Godot)
• 🧠 Programming concepts and challenges
• 🔧 Embedded systems exploration (yes --- microcontrollers and C!)
• 📓 Reflections and musings from a tech student and lifelong learner
• 👾 Game analysis (retro, indie, and modern titles)
• 💼 Game business and entrepreneurship (from freelancing to running a studio)

🌌 A Little More About Me

Outside of programming, I’m fascinated by things that shape how I see the world (and influence my creative process too):

I love astronomy 🪐, body language 🧘‍♂️, science fiction 🧬, parallel universes 🌌, love stories 💞, sports 🏐, books 📚, good drinks 🍹, and of course, games 🕹️.

✨ Thanks for reading this far! See you in the next post! 🚀