Palestinian game developer Rasheed Abueideh has launched a crowdfunding campaign to cover the costs of creating the game. dream about pillowHis new title is inspired by historical events. dream about pillow In the Nakba, the central event of the 1948 Palestinian War, approximately 700,000 Palestinians were violently stripped of their land and possessions and forcibly displaced.
Mr. Abueide, who lives in Nablus, a Palestinian city in the West Bank, was released earlier. Lyla and the Shadow of War. Released on mobile and PC platforms, it depicts a Palestinian family's struggle for survival during the 2014 Gaza War. The game received national attention after the game was initially rejected from the Apple App Store, and has since received positive reviews from critics and multiple awards. The game was also a key component of the 2021 Palestine Relief Fundraiser organized by independent developers, which raised nearly $1 million for the United Nations relief agency in Gaza.
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According to the campaign page, the developer's new project is a retelling of a Palestinian folktale set during the Nakba era. It follows the story of a woman trying to rescue her child after her husband is murdered by Zionist forces during the removal of Palestinians from the territory that would eventually become Israel. In her haste, the woman accidentally grabs a pillow instead of her child, but still must navigate hostile territory to preserve her life and her deteriorating sanity. Like other developers in Arab countries, Abueideh hopes to present his experiences in a way that defies traditional depictions of the region.
The developer returns to the game with a new vision.
Abueideh's game development career has faced significant obstacles. Even after critical success Lyla and the Shadow of WarHe was unable to secure funding for future projects. Instead, he opened a nut roastery in the West Bank, a business that eventually became unsustainable due to ongoing conflict in the region. Returning to his desire to develop games, Abueideh is eschewing traditional financial resources and instead following the crowdfunding route that many independent developers utilize. The funds sought are to cover salaries, asset creation and outsourcing and will enable Abueideh and his team to move on. dream about pillow It's in pre-production.
With a healthy collection of game stills, concept art, and other development material on the campaign page, Abueideh seems ready to create a graphically appealing game that tackles some tricky material. As independent games prove to be a viable medium for raising social awareness, dream about pillow Gamify cultural perspectives to reach a wider audience. The LaunchGood crowdfunding campaign raised more than $50,000 from nearly a thousand supporters. The campaign ends on January 13, 2025, and the game is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2026.
