Written by @loretosocorro
Antonio Machín Loyzance, creator de chach@ the game
Tony is a restless person who is between big and small machines as well as hijacking the day to day in his video or photo machine. And in the meantime and so good he has been able to create a very special game called Chach@.
Tony, what kind of game is “Chach@”?
It is a board game consisting of a round deck. There are about thirty cards and they have typical symbols of the Canary Islands.
The name already implies something of this.
Is it an educational game?
With the symbols of the deck I wanted to highlight the Canarian culture, everything that is ours and what I try is for people to have fun, above all, because it is a game, but also, that they learn by playing.
How have you combined these two objectives?
There are many words that are not used as much anymore and as they play, many people remember or learn with the symbols. In addition, you can consult a "cheat sheet" with instructions; So you can go looking at what it is, what each symbol means, for example: La Tara, a pintadera, a tajinaste...
Give us details of the game, for whom, for what ages is it designed?
From little ones to adults, even to cover different nationalities because you don't have to speak the same language, since you play with symbols.
Tony tells us that his game is already circulating in various schools on the island where schoolchildren enjoy and learn the symbols of our land. And when he speaks he breathes the desire to transmit the Canarian culture.
Is it hard to learn to drive it?
It is a simple game and can be played by two people or more. It is intended for short games lasting from forty seconds to one minute, and there are several ways to play.
The basics to get started?
Well, place a card in the center and, then, the players must find, among their cards, the symbol that matches the one in the center. the key is that: find the symbol that matches the one on the center card.
Do we also have to play and look for words used in the Canary Islands?
Drawing prevails when guiding. The only words written on the card game are Chach@ and "Ños".
Did you create it with symbols from all the islands?
An attempt was made to highlight them all, with nods, such as the Dwarves of La Palma, the Teide of Tenerife, the tajinaste, as well as the sighs of Moya, the Roque Nublo. Customs and objects that are symbols such as the lifting of the plow, the canary naife, the drago, the presa majorero...
Have you been able to play with people from outside the islands? What do they tell you?
I like the game a lot, especially I have tried it locally. The last games have gone to girls from the peninsula who were very interested in Canarian culture.
Some people surprise me because the fact of learning words and culture in such an enjoyable way is an achievement for them and, therefore, also for us.
You are an "ambassador of the canariedad"...
Man, I don't think it's such a big deal, - he is cautious although eager to disclose - rather I see myself as a lover of my islands, really. I saw what was needed and how it was something I had in mind...
In this globalized world where it is easy to forget canarianisms and symbols, Chach@ was born to remember and learn what is part of our roots, of our identity.
Why bail out with playing cards?
Since I was little I have liked games and I wanted to create something but I wasn't very clear about it and, over the years, I began to dedicate myself to the audiovisual world, to graphic design. And I was so fully involved in other projects that I gradually forgot that desire to create, but I kept playing board games.
When did you get down to work?
One day my girlfriend Toñi had the idea to make a Canarian version of a game that we both like and that's it. Well, right with the start of the pandemic, without being able to leave the house, I began to take advantage of the time to create the game.
Among the illustrations in this round deck there are many symbols, but we want you to tell us about the dog…
The dog is the logo. During the confinement I went up to the roof and my neighbors have a dog called Cloel, she is a majorera and very playful. The truth is that she encouraged us for a while and when I created the game she put her face in the game, as a logo.
Because you started creating the game in confinement, but when did you finish it?
A few months later I was already launching it and moving it. At the end of the confinement, more or less, in July, she was already selling it. I spent quite a few hours on it and, little by little, it materialized.
Has your background in design helped you with the project of creating the game?
I started from a very fair base. For me it was a great challenge, because I came from the video technical part and I knew things about illustration but I had to learn how to make a card game by myself.
How was the process from having the idea to ending up with a coherent game on your hands?
Above all, do a lot of tests, spend all day solving printing problems. I am especially grateful to someone from “digitalprint”. I went so many times... convinced that the cards had turned out well and I left empty-handed. It became a return to try another way, another way. That of thinking that you press a button and the machine is perfect, it is not so.
Once on the street, you have also called competitions, championships...
We did some competition to present the game in meeting places like the ¨Friki Bar Gran Canaria”, with a very good reception. I would like to hold a championship with the people who already follow us and for more and more to join us.
What is your favorite letter?
One that has in order: the pintadera, the Roque Nublo, the presa canario, the naife and the sigh of Moya, to sweeten life - laugh – .
How can we get hold of a "Chac@" deck, to train before the championship?
You can contact me on instagram and it is also sold in physical stores such as in Aragüeme (Agüimes) and in Mi Mundo Shop (Arinaga-Agüimes).
Tony tells us about another version of this card game called “Ojú el juego”.
It arose thanks to my girlfriend, Chema Toñi, who has always been encouraging me with all my challenges. She is from a small town in the mountains of Cádiz called Puerto Serrano and I liked the idea.
I thought it was a good continuation of "Chach@ el juego" which was the first of the two.
With this creative and restless man we are infected with the desire to play Chach@ and see if we know as much about canary symbols as we think or even challenge someone. We hope to be able to see the cards in all the Canarian schools and filling the summer afternoons with many people from the islands and from abroad.
