Palestinian video game designer Rasheed Abueideh is busy at work on his second game, Dreams on a Pillow. The side-scrolling stealth game is significant to him, as it is set during the Nakba.
After a crowdfunding campaign received international attention and raised more than $200,000, Abueideh is relieved that he and his team can finally begin on the project that has been on his mind for a long time. “Making video games is not an easy task here, ultimately, we’re in a war zone, and the goal is survival at the end of the day.”
Speaking to The National from the occupied West Bank, Abueideh says he is grateful for all the support his crowdfunding campaign has received, crediting the Arab diaspora in the West for making the campaign more visible.
He also noted that it wasn’t just Arabs or Muslims who made it a successful campaign. “There were many who were just pro-Palestine in their stance, even though they were not Arab or Muslim, they also contributed to the success of the campaign,” says Abueideh.
This is not the first time Abueideh has worked on developing a video game. He made the short game Liyla & The Shadows of War in 2016. Having begun gaming design in 2010, Abueideh wanted the free game to achieve two goals: executing what he learnt as a designer and making an emotional work about Palestine that was accessible to everyone.
“That game was short, but it was well received, with many around the world playing it," he adds. "It was a volunteer effort as well, no one was paid for that game.”
He is set to begin the first phase of the game while the crowdfunding continues. “I have a small team, about seven people, and we all work remotely," he says. "There are people in Europe, and some in Jordan and one in Kuwait."
Dreams on a Pillow is about a Palestinian mother, named Omm, who was forcefully evicted from her house during the Nakba. The story goes that as she was leaving the house, distraught and discombobulated, she carried a pillow mistaking it for her child.
Omm then has a psychological attachment to the pillow as she continues to mistake it for her child. She must survive the trek from the village of Tantoura to a refugee camp in Lebanon, all the while evading aggression from Israeli soldiers.
The character is hindered or aided by a game mechanic where, if she drops the pillow, she can move easily but her mind begins to drift and lose focus. Holding the pillow makes her focus again but her movement is slower and more cumbersome, creating scenarios in which each position is needed to traverse levels.
“I didn’t think it was a true story at first, but I did some research, and it seems to have really happened according to first-hand accounts,” says Abueideh. “I had first heard it from a famous Arab anthology series, which acted out the story, and it stayed with me for years.”
Set during the Nakba, the game also shows how Palestinian cities looked before they were ravaged by war. The concept art shows lively bright streets before they turned to grey rubble from the attacks.
For Abueideh, what matters most is that the Palestinian cause becomes more apparent through telling these stories. He says that video games can be a great platform for compassionate storytelling that invites empathy from the player. “It matters to me that people understand that it is one big ongoing story that started a long time ago and has not ended but keeps going," he adds. "There are everyday stories, which this is one of, but there’s a bigger picture of the Palestinian struggle."
Now that the money for the first production phase is secured, Abueideh says they are on course to release the game late next year, with the money raised allowing them to work throughout this year. He hopes the ongoing campaign will raise enough money for them to finish it next year.
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Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones
3/5 stars
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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Teaching in coronavirus times
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Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
Results
6pm: Dubai Trophy – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Silent Speech, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby
(trainer)
6.35pm: Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
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Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
BABYLON
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
RACE CARD
4.30pm: Maiden Dh80,000 1,400m
5pm: Conditions Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 3 Dh300,000 1,400m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Group 2 Dh300,000 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (30-60) Dh80,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (40-70) Dh80,000 1,600m.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
