Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the 1948 Nakba, is the latest from a daring developer

Dreaming on a pillow is a video game experience about the 1948 Nakba, an event in which approximately 700,000 people were displaced from their lands and homes as a result of the Zionist occupation.

The game, described as “a pseudo-3D stealth adventure game about a land full of people being transformed into a nation without a land,” is from Palestinian developer Rasheed Abu-Eideh. But before I tell you more about that, let me tell you something about his previous game.

Abu-Eideh was released in 2016 Liyla and the Shadows of Wara game about a 2014 attack on Gaza by Israel known as Operation Protective Edge. Liyla follows a Palestinian girl and her family as they deal with attacks in their neighborhood. It’s short but emotional, combining elements of platformers and choose-your-own stories. In 2021, the game was part of an Indie Bundle Pack that raised nearly $900,000 for Palestinian relief through UNRWA USA.

Currently, Liyla and the Shadows of War is free on mobile and Windows. But in 2016, it was initially rejected as a game on the Apple App Store. Abu-Eideh was told to remove any descriptions of it as a “game” and recategorize it as “news” or “reference” due to its political nature. The hypocrisy of the decision was noted by many at the time: as reported by EurogamerApple denied Liyla as a game, but left a game called Israeli heroes in the game area. After Abu-Eideh spoke about Apple’s decision on social media, Apple finally gave permission Liyla to be categorized as a game.

Dreaming on a pillow is currently being crowdfunded by Abu-Eideh LaunchGood until January 13, and funds raised from the LaunchGood campaign will go towards asset creation, outsourcing and salaries for the current 9-person team. The goal is to launch the game in the fourth quarter of 2026.