In his latest Pass the Paddles Joshuah Bearman writes about the catharsis of The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. The story is a fun read, if not a bit off-point at times. His story can be summarized with the two graphs, though it s still worth a read:

That said, the basic Hulk story is ripe for its own psychological complexity. I don t propose that Activision personnel should start digging up Lacanian-Heideggerian treatises from research-library stacks so as to learn more about embedding their Destroyer archetype in a theoretical context, as an objective externalization of the wilted subject, a desperate expression of control that reflects our ultimate lack of control; all I m saying is that easy annihilation turns out to be a blaze that burns briefly.

And that pulls the cathartic punch. A monstrous green corporealized Id with torn-up cutoffs is fairly pointless without the fragile Ego from which it sprang. If violence is fulfilling as a release, that s a nuance alien to the narrow vocabulary of most video games. Senseless stealth missions as David Banner are not the answer to making a more rounded game, but punching buildings ad nauseum doesn t do the trick either. I m not sure how video games can best engage emotional depth. A sense of consequences might be a start. David Banner s perennial torment is that he simultaneously relishes and regrets losing control. That duality is the source of the Hulk story s power, in film and in print. So it should be for the game as well.

Smash Box [LA Weekly]