Dreams on a Pillow offers a poignant dive into the 1948 Nakba, a dark chapter in history when around 700,000 individuals were forcibly evicted from their lands due to Zionist takeovers.
This compelling video game, fashioned as “a pseudo-3D stealth adventure” where a land teeming with people transforms into a place without its people, originates from the creative mind of Palestinian game developer Rasheed Abu-Eideh. However, before delving deeper into this project, it’s worth revisiting his earlier work.
Back in 2016, Abu-Eideh introduced us to Liyla and the Shadows of War. The game tackles the harrowing 2014 assault on Gaza, historically termed Operation Protective Edge. It narrates the journey of a Palestinian girl and her family as they navigate the chaotic onslaughts in their area. Short but intensely moving, this game weaves platforming mechanics with choose-your-own-adventure elements. Notably, in 2021, it was featured in an Indie Bundle Pack that successfully garnered close to $900,000 for Palestinian support through UNRWA USA.
At present, Liyla and the Shadows of War can be downloaded freely on both mobile devices and Windows. However, when it was first launched, Apple’s App Store initially rejected it, questioning its status as a ‘game’ owing to its political themes. Abu-Eideh was asked to label it under “News” or “Reference” instead. This move was met with criticism, with many pointing out the inconsistency: Eurogamer reported that while Liyla was sidelined, a game titled Israeli Heroes faced no such hurdles. Eventually, after Abu-Eideh took to social media to highlight this disparity, Apple relented and classified Liyla as a game.
Meanwhile, Dreams on a Pillow is in the midst of a crowdfunding campaign on LaunchGood, accepting contributions up until January 13. The funds will be directed towards creating assets, outsourcing tasks, and compensating the team of nine currently working on the project. The game has set its sights on a release in the fourth quarter of 2026.
