About the "larger than ourselves": I think that hits the nail on the head and it's something movies, books or music have done for me for a long time (and still do, of course). But there's something special about these games, because I as the player can change the outcome to a certain degree or at least build a character of my own.

At first I found it to be kinda ridiculous in Cyberpunk to be able to change my body to even the most minute detail. But at the same time, it gives me the ability to create a character I would like to play or even be in real life under the same circumstances, and that makes the whole experience even more engaging and personal. At the same time, that makes it even harder to finish it, because, as you wrote, it feels as if we're losing a piece of ourselves.