From Minecraft and Terraria to Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row, sandbox games and wanton destruction are an inseparable couple. Let's add in Just Cause, Infamous, Red Dead Redemption, and Destroy All Humans while we're at it. If it's got sand in a box, it's got things that need breaking, and if they don't need breaking, they're going to need repairing anyway. Beyond your run-of-the-mill serial demolition, many of these games actually prompt the player to play with fire by way of destruction missions, often with the set goal of causing a set level of damage. Being rewarded for indiscriminately testing your latest grenades and missile launchers on delightfully crumbly structures? Who's going to turn that down? You'd be crazier to hold back. RockStar Games and THQ frown upon your gaming inhibitions; why don't you go drive the speed limit in the correct lane whilst coloring inside the lines while you're at it.
A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games?
Well that doesn't sound anything like me.
