I actually felt something like that, both times I played the LA Noire video game, years apart. (It's a film noire-ish detective story set in booming postwar Lo

I actually felt something like that, both times I played the LA Noire video game, years apart. (It's a film noire-ish detective story set in booming postwar Los Angeles, with a mostly open world you can drive around in accurate models of period cars, and walk around.) I didn't feel that because it was a nice social environment (it wasn't), nor did I want to be the traditional white male head of household (it was especially not-nice for POC and women), and I actually dislike cars. I think what caused the feeling was the immersion in the prosperity, and new/recent construction, which seemed accessible to most. (While in real life living in overpriced, deteriorating old New England apartments.) I'd guess the game atmosphere like background music also contributed. It's a persistent general feeling of curiosity tinged with melancholy while in the game, longing for something I want maybe more than I realize, but that I believe doesn't exist or is inaccessible.