The Last of Us proved a video game could carry a story as emotional as any film

pop & funWikipedia2013

The Last of Us proved a video game could carry a story as emotional as any film

the gist

The Last of Us is a 2013 action game by Naughty Dog in which Joel, a smuggler, must escort a teenage girl named Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States. The world has been devastated by a mutated fungus that turns people into cannibalistic creatures, so players fight with guns, improvised weapons and stealth. Development centred on the bond between Joel and Ellie, with every other element built around their relationship. The game sold over 1.3 million copies in its first week and 17 million by April 2018, and it won Game of the Year awards from several publications. Its fungus was inspired by the real Cordyceps fungus, which infects insects and takes over their behaviour.

so what

The game showed that interactive stories could handle grief, violence and loyalty with the subtlety of prestige drama, which helped shift how the industry thinks about narrative. Its success led to an HBO television adaptation in 2023, making it one of the rare games to move into mainstream television.

fun fact

The fungus in the game is inspired by Cordyceps, a real fungus that takes control of insect hosts.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

source: Wikipedia ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗