Palestinian Voices in Games

A professional network for supporting Palestinian game creators.

What

Palestinian Voices in Games is an initiative to support current and emerging Palestinian indie game developers in the production of their games. It is a network of diverse international game professionals volunteering their time, work, and expertise to make these projects a reality.

Stay updated with our progress

WHY

Through our work in the creative industries we learned of the power of having our voice heard; through past struggles we have learned the importance of amplifying the voices of those who have not yet been heard.

The dehumanisation of Palestinians is tied to their rare visibility in the cultural sphere. This dehumanisation costs lives–as the world remains indifferent to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and to the surge of violent oppression across the West Bank and inside Israel.

We want to push against the dehumanisation of Palestinians, not simply through representation but also through professional and economic support, so that Palestinian game developers may tell their own stories and reach global audiences. Inspired by the work of intellectuals, poets, actors, artists, and game developers such as Edward Said, Mahmoud Darwish, Hiam Abbas, Larissa Sansour, Elia Suleiman, and Rasheed Abueideh, we want to support a new generation of Palestinian gamemakers.

How

We are currently expanding our international volunteer network, meeting Palestinian developers looking for support, and connecting with potential funding partners.

Our next step is to bring these parts together in collaboration. We will connect Palestinian game developers with volunteers and funding partners who can offer them the assistance they need. We will also provide administrative support to help them coordinate volunteer resources and navigate the initial stages of funding conversations.

Our goal is to ensure that funding and volunteer support are effectively utilized. We will assist supported creators in managing the financial resources they secure and in coordinating the delivery of volunteer contributions. From production to announcement to publication, we will follow the progress of each project closely, keeping all supporters informed every step of the way.

Who

Palestinian Voices in Games is a large network of established game makers and creators, game studios, curators, and event organisers from around the world. We first convened in May 2024 and have been building this project since. We are a self-organised group looking for partners who are ready to engage their time, finances, and energy into supporting Palestinian game developers and amplifying their voices.

We currently support the following projects

Dreams on a Pillow A beautiful twilight view over a green meadow with red flowers, trees with white leaves and barbary figs. A woman walks down a path holding a pitcher of water on her head. A camel and mountains can be seen in the background.

by Rasheed Abueideh

RiYafa A composition with houses drawn with a ghostly design at the top, a black & white landscape with trees and roads under them and green chequered fields under them. A Cockatoo Squid and the game's title in arab are drawn in the foreground. The game's title has a grapevine with apparent roots drawn inside its shape. Both the game's title and the squid have a keffiyeh worn as a scarf.

by Yusra

Pomegranates A screenshot of the game with an anguishing sky and red lighting depicting urban ruins with building parts floating in the sky as in a dream. A few bicycles line up at the side of the street. The game's journal icon is displayed at the bottom right corner.

by Gabbah Baya

Quasar
A poster presenting characters of multiple classes from the game: a bundar bright-shield readying his mace protected by a thick white armour, a vulpathian infiltrator drawing a bow and completly covered in a purple armour except for their white fluffy tail, a strigforan hierophant wielding a lightsaber and a bionic red eye, a green orc ronin with metal arms and a red cloak under a Karuta armour, and an ominous person masked with witch symbols and covered in a green cloak behind them. Spaceships also appear in the background.

by Arcane Whiskers

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Want to sign up to volunteer your time or offer financial support?

Are you a Palestinian game creator looking for support?

Help us spread the word

Our launch has been covered by gaming publications around the world. Here's what they're saying:

Canard PC (French): Le labeur de la pastèque

Rock Paper Shotgun (English): Creators of Reigns, Streets of Rage and Saturnalia launch Palestinian Voices in Gaming

Game Developer (English): Game professionals form new coalition to combat underrepresentation of Palestinians

The Games Machine (Italian): Palestinian Voices in Games: un evento il 21 settembre a Milano

GameScore (Italian): Palestinian Voices in Games: nasce un progetto per supportare gli sviluppatori palestinesi

Italia Top Games (Italian): Palestinian Voices in Games coverage

GameSource (Italian): Palestinian Voices in Games iniziativa

Endless Mode (English): Palestinian Voices in Games Aims To Help Devs in Gaza and West Bank Bring Their Stories to Life

Aftermath (English): New Coalition Seeks To Help Palestinian Game Developers ‘Speak Loudly’ Through Games

Rascal News (English): Game designers raise funds for Palestinians via Play for Peace Bundle

VGMag (Italian): Nasce “Palestinian Voices in Games”: la rete internazionale a sostegno dei creatori palestinesi

Tribe Games (Italian): Palestinian Voices in Games: una rete di supporto contro la deumanizzazione

Console Generation (Italian): Palestinian Voices in Games: una rete di supporto contro la deumanizzazione

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