Meet the Team
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Aaron “Gearsnakes” Juarez
Founder & Game Director
Based in Norwalk, California 🇺🇸
Born in 1978 and raised amid the neon-soaked wonder of the 1980s, Aaron “Gearsnakes” Juarez grew up on a steady diet of Saturday morning cartoons, fantasy roleplaying games, and the first wave of trading card culture. Witnessing the explosive rise of the Pokémon TCG during his teen years sparked a lifelong passion for collecting and designing cards.
Before launching Backrooms TCG™, Aaron worked in supermarkets and pharmacies, gaining a grounded understanding of people and persistence. His academic path led him to an AA in Anthropology—fueled by his deep interest in human culture, myth, and symbolism—and later, an AA in Film & TV Production, where he explored storytelling through the lens of cinema, especially classic musicals and 80s sci-fi.
As a father of two and a lifelong creative, Aaron always dreamed of building something that merged solo exploration, story-rich gameplay, and collectible strategy. That vision became Backrooms TCG™, the first-ever solitaire trading card game inspired by the eerie world of the Backrooms. Over two years, he handcrafted the mechanics, lore, and characters—designing a game that speaks to wanderers, introverts, and storytellers alike.
Today, Aaron directs every facet of the company: from card design and narrative development to website content, customer support, and fulfillment. Every order is packed by hand. Every expansion is a labor of love. His commitment to high-touch service and immersive design shines through in every product.
“Backrooms TCG™ is more than a game. It’s a space to explore, to remember, and to overcome—one card at a time.” —Gearsnakes -
Corey “The Red Tide” Ward
Social Media 🇺🇸
Corey is a dedicated dad, husband, cook, musician, and creative person. His TCG journey traces back to the fond memories of his youth, where Pokémon captured his imagination. However, it wasn't until 2016, during Pokémon's 20th anniversary, that Corey rediscovered his passion for TCGs, setting the stage for an exciting resurgence.
In 2022, fate led Corey to stumble upon Backrooms TCG, a game that seamlessly melds solitary gameplay with intriguing thematic elements. Initially a fervent admirer, Corey's involvement deepened when he reached out to Aaron, the game's creator, offering assistance with card typos and engaging in spirited discussions about mechanics.
By February 2023, Corey's role had evolved from enthusiast to collaborator, as he joined forces with Aaron to shape the game's future. From rewriting the rule book to refining gameplay mechanics, Corey played a pivotal role in elevating Backrooms TCG.
When the call came to lead the Kickstarter campaign, Corey stepped up, leveraging his skills to propel the game forward. And when unforeseen circumstances demanded action, Corey seamlessly transitioned into the role of Chief Operations Officer, ensuring the game's smooth operation during Aaron's absence.
Today, Corey stands side by side with Aaron as Co-Owner, his influence evident in every aspect of the game's development. His unwavering commitment and creative vision continue to drive the success of Backrooms TCG, leaving an indelible mark on its journey -
Ryan “Hass Thrift” Hasselkus
Graphic Design 🇺🇸
Ryan is a Scientist at a biotech company in Boston, MA working with stem cells to develop medicines that will improve the lives of patients. He grew up during the inception of Pokémon and Yu-gi-oh!, playing both of them casually with his friends on the school bus. Unfortunately, he gave away his entire card collection as a kid and it wasn’t until 2019 that he restarted his collection once again. As a result of this endeavor, Hass Thrift & Collectibles was formed.
As Hass Thrift, Ryan has a passion for buying, selling, and trading collectibles including indie TCGs. One of his main goals as a collector is to collect one card from every card game ever produced. He currently has over 300 card games in his TCG museum. His passion for indie TCGs lead to his discovery of Backrooms TCG on Kickstarter, which caught his immediate interest as a solitaire trading card game. Ryan quickly became involved in the Discord community and posted gameplay videos on YouTube.
As a result, Ryan was asked to join the Backrooms TCG development team as social media manager and content creator. This was a perfect opportunity to combine his passion for indie TCGs, Backrooms lore, and his experience in graphic design. When Ryan isn’t playing Backrooms TCG or creating content, he enjoys outdoor activities with his family and playing soccer. -
Richard Smith
Lead Artist 🇬🇧
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Noway Artemus
Game Development / YouTube Content Creator 🇺🇸
Hello! I am Noway Artemus from Las Vegas. I've been playing and designing games forever, probably since I was like 9 or 10. I collected Pokémon like most other kids around the early 2000s, 2000 and 2001 I'd say, then switched to YuGiOh which I actually collected and played a fair bit. I wanted to play magic but grew up Christian and my mom was not down with that games' look and theme. She didn't like Harry potter either! I started playing board games pretty heavily around 2012 I believe, found a friend who was really into them and he opened that world to me. I've been pretty heavily invested in board and card games now for at least the last like 10 years or so, and have collected around 200 of them. I've done design work for years, tried many different games, even have one pretty close to being done though Backrooms TCG took my attention. Great game as it is, that's not surprising. I actually got pretty big into Tomb raider CCG though it's very luck based, which I found not very fun after a while. I like the idea but the dice rolling to beat skill checks is aggravating because there is very little way to mitigate that luck without the right cards, but it being a solo card game made it so you can actually play it by yourself and have a decent time. If only the luck wasn't so mean. But the game looks really cool, feels very thematic. Ive always wanted to be part of a game design team and think my avid experience with board and card games from the last 15 years brings a somewhat unique perspective to my abilities as a game designer. -
Daniele "MegaElite19" Crespi
Game Development Assistant 🇮🇹
Hello everyone, I’m Daniele, an Italian guy with a huge passion for the Backrooms. Forged by countless battles of Magic the Gathering, even to the point of becoming the Regional Champion in my country for a time, you could say I’m a pretty competitive guy, though I promise I’m also very sweet, I swear! Jokes aside, I have been playing these sorts of competitive card games for the better part of 15 years, which also included time spent on Yu-Gi-Oh and a whole lot of Board Games. They’ve always proven to be fascinating to me, from the ideas, rules, mechanics, and in general the creativity of it all. I’ve always been a Storyteller, creating unique characters and places of my own invention.
In 2019, I first stumbled upon the Backrooms, even being there for the genesis of the original post online, and in the next few years I learned all about the variety of levels with their creatures and the many horrors within. The Backrooms TCG piqued my interest to a huge degree, and it combined my love of the things I love the most, card games and the Backrooms. Being a Horror lover shouldn’t come as a surprise, I suppose, but it’s not a stretch to say that my favorite stories come from the titan of the genre, HP Lovecraft. Cosmic Horrors are truly amazing, after all! If you have questions about the Backrooms, give me a chance and I’ll tell you all about it. Let me share a story with you…
Discord Moderators
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BigFaz
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Groyer
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RestedKnight42
Artists
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Francisco K.
Card Art / Comic Art / Product Art 🇨🇱
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Aren Radely
Card Art / Product Art 🇨🇱
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Andrea Zarate
Icons / Card Art