Cathartic Gaming

What is your emotional catharsis when playing games or experiencing a story?

     Well, obviously, different games will evoke different emotions, and create different experiences. But, I do dabble in video games a bit and I've noticed that I play games that are more story heavy, than simply gaming heavy. For example, recently I bought Diablo 3. Again, normally I don't play many video games, but I played Diablo 2 back when I was younger, and so I'm attached to the series.
     On a very basic level I like playing this game because I'd rather do that than homework, or other obligations I have in life. But on a deeper level, I do enjoy the story and I feel that playing stories is one way I discover ideas that I add to a book I'm currently working on. Lastly, I may play for some type of escapism. Diablo 3 allows me to escape the real world, and immerse myself into an interactive story where my responsibilities don't exist.
     When I consider these points in why I play Diablo 3, I realize that they don't just apply to Diablo, but to any other game, whether a video game, or a sports game. I definitely need to mention that part of playing any time of game, is the play aspect. We enjoy, perhaps partly for the escapism, but in playing games, especially physically active games, it's good for our bodies. So that is probably one reason people question the healthiness of video gaming.
     Overall, I think it is personal preference, whether, video, board, or sport gaming, they all provide different cathartic experiences and they all allow us to have an experience and an emotional attachment.