[1] His father was an avid wargamer, and introduced him to role-playing games; while they were at a hobby shop, Lazzaretti discovered the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books, and as he puts it "was instantly hooked".
"[1] His interest in the visual elements of RPGs led him to consider a career as an artist: "Everybody in my gaming group had me drawing sketches of their characters.
In high school, I was the kid drawing all the weird stuff for people I knew, like Iron Maiden album covers on the backs of their jackets.
"[1] Lazzaretti went on to study fine art at Illinois State University, but then switched over to design.
[1] Lazaretti worked as an intern at Game Designers Workshop for a year, helping produce products such as Dark Conspiracy and Dangerous Journeys.