If you were sad about "Game of Thrones" ending this week, you're not alone. Well-crafted fictional worlds and characters let us step outside ourselves for an hour or more at a time so we can observe more objectively. At the same time, we relate to these characters — which makes it easy to become personally invested in their outcomes, and take it badly when things don't go well for our favorites. Any type of storytelling that allows us to spend more time exploring a given fictional world gives fans more to talk about, which generates deeper discussion and may yield greater insights and camaraderie among fans.