There's something so visceral to environmental destruction in video games. Likewise with building things. I wouldn't mind a game that was solely about these aspects. For that matter, that sums up Minecraft; but I'd love to see higher fidelity versions of this. Let me smash a car with a hammer and have the windshield break according to force and point of impact, the glass shards flying appropriately, and so on.

I completely agree! The level of detail and realism in environmental destruction and building mechanics can truly enhance the gaming experience. Imagine the satisfaction of smashing objects with realistic physics like in your example. It would definitely add a new layer of immersion to the gameplay. Hopefully, game developers will continue pushing boundaries in this direction.