The gaming highlights that ruled E3 2021
The Hindu
Mark your calendars, players! The pandemic has not stopped 2021’s biggest video games event, E3, from shelling out some gaming goodness, from Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora to the biggest Forza Horizon game yet
(Subscribe to our Today's Cache newsletter for a quick snapshot of top 5 tech stories. Click to subscribe for free.) Owing to the pandemic, the 2020 session of E3 (Electronics Entertainment Expo) was cancelled, but the much-anticipated video games showcase is back this year with a groundswell of gaming announcements that are sure to keep players’ calendars stocked up nicely for the coming year and a half. This year, Entertainment Software Association took E3 to a virtual setting (which can be accessed via E3’s Facebook, Twitter, Twitch and YouTube pages), with a four-day (June 12 to June 15) spread of mini-events from Microsoft, Ubisoft, Nintendo, Square Enix and more.
A vacuum cleaner haunted by a ghost is the kind of one-liner which can draw in a festival audience looking for a little light-hearted fun to fill the time slots available between the “heavier” films which require much closer attention. A useful ghost, the debut feature of Thai filmmaker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke being screened in the world cinema category at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), even appears so in the initial hour. Until, the film becomes something more, with strong undercurrents of Thailand’s contemporary political history.

Sustainability is not an add-on, but stamped firmly into the process: every piece is biodegradable, waste-free and unembellished, free from glitter or beads. “Products should be sustainable and biodegradable so that our planet is not harmed,” says Anu Elizabeth Alexander, a student of Sishya, Adyar. At a recent exhibition, the stars she made sold the fastest, followed by the small diamonds. “I would like people to know about the process, how it is created, and that it is sustainable,” says Anu. Infanta Leon from Kotturpuram developed an interest in crochet as a teenager. It was a hobbyhorse that evolved into a steed that would help her embark on a journey of identity-shaping creative engagement. She started making Christmas-themed decor two years ago, spurred by a desire to craft safe, eco-friendly toys for children. “With a toddler at home, and my elder child sensitive to synthetic materials, I wanted to create items that were gentle, durable and tactile,” she explains. Her earliest creations were small amigurumi toys which gradually evolved into ornaments that could adorn Christmas trees with warmth and charm.











