Can a video game make you feel the weight of history? That’s the ambitious goal of a new pseudo-3D stealth adventure game called “Dreams on a Pillow”, launched by Palestinian game developers.
The game is inspired by the events of the 1948 Nakba or “catastrophe”, referring to the ethnic cleansing of 750,000 Palestinians from their homes located in what is now the state of Israel.
It is slated to be released in 2026.
So what do we know about the game that is launched at a time when Palestinians are hoping this week’s ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel for Gaza, where more than 46,000 people have been killed in the 15-month-long Israeli bombardment of the strip, will actually hold?
Who is behind the game and what is its goal?
The game is the brainchild of Rasheed Abueideh, a developer based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
“We are trying to make this game a masterpiece,” Abueideh, the game’s director and designer, told Al Jazeera. His last game, Liyla and the Shadows of War, based on the 2014 Israeli offensive in Gaza, was a huge hit.
“It’s a heavy story. And we want to inject all of these pieces of information through a gameplay that resonates with the players,” he said.
Abueideh, who is based in Nablus in the West Bank, says he would like the world to understand that the Israeli war on Gaza is a direct result of previous events and decisions beyond the event of October 7, 2023.
The game, he says, is also an attempt to highlight and share the rich history of Palestine.
Despite his past success, he has struggled to get funding from conventional sources. So he crowdsourced on LaunchGood, a global crowdfunding platform focused on supporting Muslim communities worldwide. Dreams on a Pillow reached its funding goal of $194,800 on January 7. At the time of writing, the video game project has raised $218,272.
The current funding for the game is enough to start development and should cover costs for the first year including salaries, outsourcing and asset creation.
According to Abueideh, LaunchGood emerged as one of the few viable options for fundraising efforts, as many mainstream crowdfunding platforms refused to help.
Palestine-related content often faces heightened scrutiny and, in some cases, outright prohibition. The censorship or even the shadow banning of pro-Palestine content has been well documented.
In May 2023, a YouTube video made by Palestinian officials, which was meant to be presented at a United Nations Human Rights Council meeting, was removed from the platform. The platform has been accused of violating the digital rights of Palestinians.
Investigations by rights organisations and media outlets have revealed the removal and suppression of pro-Palestinian content from social media platforms such Instagram and Facebook.
Netflix removed nearly all 32 films about Palestine on its platform. The streaming giant attributed the removal of the films to the expiration of three-year licensing agreements. However, this sudden deletion prompted an outcry from human rights groups and individuals across social media platforms, according to broadcaster TRT World.
Why is @Netflix purging so many of its films and content regarding Palestinians and Palestine?
Look at all of the Palestinian stories that are “leaving soon.”
Israel is already trying to erase the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank. Why is @Netflix erasing Palestinian… pic.twitter.com/rXEmcVqvJ8
— Sunjeev Bery (@Sunjeev_Bery) October 13, 2024
What’s the story behind Dreams on a Pillow?
The central theme of the game is based on Palestinian folklore around the legend of Omm, a young mother who flees the 1948 Israeli massacre in Tantura, a Palestinian town now part of Israel.
While escaping through other Palestinian villages and refugee camps on her way to Lebanon, she witnessed events that unfolded in these communities and cities along the way.
According to Abueideh, this journey serves as a lens through which we observe the broader historical context and personal experiences of displacement during this tumultuous period.
Omm’s husband falls victim to Israeli invaders. Frantically, she rushes home to save her newborn child. In her haste and terror, she flees the town, only to discover later that she had mistakenly grabbed a pillow instead of her baby.
The story’s conclusion varies significantly depending on the storyteller and audience. In most renditions, the mother descends into madness. Other versions depict either her murder or her successful evasion of Israeli patrols and military units, leading to her escape from her homeland – a place she might not see again.
In a recent Ask Me Anything (AMA) live on Reddit, Abueideh states why Omm was chosen:
“The young mother’s experiences highlight how devastating the Nakba was, particularly the psychological impact it had on her. This adds a deeper layer to understanding what happened, shedding light on the emotional and mental toll that is often overlooked when discussing the crimes committed,” explained Abueideh.
Zionist militias committed more than 70 massacres that resulted in the killing of more than 15,000 Palestinians leading up to the creation of Israel in 1948.
What was the theme of Liyla and the Shadows of War?
In 2016, Abueideh’s small team of developers in Palestine released Liyla and the Shadows of War for PC and mobile platforms, which was based on Israel’s 2014 Gaza offensive.
The Israeli military operation, named Operation Protective Edge, resulted in the killing of 2,300 Palestinians and 73 Israelis.
According to Abueideh, Liyla and the Shadows of War was quite successful receiving millions of downloads and was awarded first place for Excellence in Storyboarding for the International Mobile Gaming Awards for Middle East North Africa.
The game was built around a Palestinian family’s harrowing experience during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, as they fought to stay alive amid the conflict and destruction.
“We followed a story of a young girl who lives in Gaza. During these attacks, we try to build an emotional story. We connect people with what’s happening in Gaza, and we show them the decisions that you have to take as a Palestinian during the war, and regardless of your decision that you are taking, it’s hard to survive,” Abueideh says.
Apple initially rejected the Game but later reversed its decision after public pressure. Abueideh says Liyla and the Shadows of War faced rejection due to its potent political themes.
“Players must deal with the stark realities of life amid conflict, challenging them to navigate through relentless bombings and gunfire in search of sanctuary. The game mechanics operate no different than other games, although it is set in the Gaza Strip,” he says.
How is Dreams on a Pillow different from his previous games?
Although Dreams on a Pillow is based in Palestine like Liyla and the Shadows of War, the game dynamics are different.
“For the gameplay element you are playing with this character [Omm] holding the pillow which limits her ability to do stuff in the environment, but this pillow gives her safety,” stated Abueideh.
The psychological effects of the Nakba are vividly portrayed through the game’s narrative story-building and mechanics.
Omm finds solace and safety when carrying the pillow, which symbolises her childhood. However, when she sets it down, her mental state deteriorates rapidly. She can become plagued by nightmares and hallucinations, a reflection of the constant danger and trauma she experiences.
Her psychological fear manifests through the game’s mechanics. At each level, set during the Nakba, she enters a dream state. In this dream, which also takes the form of a game, we witness Omm’s life before the Nakba, providing a stark contrast with her current experience.
“This is our opportunity to show the culture of Palestine, the nature of Palestine. The habits of people before the Nakba, and how beautiful nature was. There is a lie about Palestine that’s been said in the Western media, ‘land without a people, for a people without land’”, Abueideh says.
“We need to show that Palestine was rich in history and culture, filled with its people and their habits before what happened in 1948.”
According to Abueideh, the game will require two years of development with a planned release due in 2026. Due to the sensitive nature of the subject matter, it’s unclear from the development team which platforms will accept the game.
What happened during the Nakba and the creation of Israel?
On May 14, 1948, immediately following the expiry of the British Mandate, Zionist leaders proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. The announcement ignited the first Arab-Israeli war, after which the Zionist forces gained control of 78 percent of historic Palestine.
The remaining 22 percent was split into two areas: the West Bank, which is now under occupation, and the Gaza Strip, which has been turned into rubble by more than 15 months of non-stop Israeli bombardment.
Approximately 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their homes and territories following the violence unleashed by Zionist militias.
The continued Israeli military control over Palestinian territories for decades has a negative impact on the daily lives of Palestinians. The prolonged occupation and enlargement of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land have imperilled the viability of a two-state solution – Israeli and Palestinian states coexisting side by side.
