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West Bank Developer Adapts 75-Year-Old Folk Tale into Video Game 'Dreams on a Pillow'
Rasheed Abueideh is creating Dreams on a Pillow, which follows a mother displaced during the 1948 Nakba. The project draws from a story that is 75 years old. Al Jazeera spoke with the developer from the occupied West Bank on the day the article was published.
May 14, 1:41 PM·1m read1 source
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A developer from the occupied West Bank is turning a 75-year-old Palestinian folk tale into a video game titled Dreams on a Pillow. The game follows a mother displaced during the 1948 Nakba. Its narrative mirrors the developer's own fight to complete the project, according to Al Jazeera reported.
Developer Rasheed Abueideh told Al Jazeera the story at the heart of the game has endured for 75 years. Dreams on a Pillow draws directly from that folk tale, he said. Al Jazeera spoke to developer Rasheed Abueideh about the project.
The conversation explored both the game's story and the practical challenges of making it in the occupied West Bank. The article detailing the project was published on 14 May 2026. It presents the game as an act of cultural preservation amid ongoing constraints on Palestinian creators.
Rasheed Abueideh described the parallel between the mother's displacement in the 1948 Nakba and the obstacles he faces bringing the game to existence. The 75-year-old folk tale, passed through generations, provided the foundation for the entire interactive narrative. Dreams on a Pillow places players in the role of the displaced mother as she navigates loss and memory.
Abueideh said the game's mechanics echo the oral tradition of the original story, requiring players to piece together fragments of the past.
