The joy of literature

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So I read Hamlet in high school but literally everything that makes it great went completely over my head. I was way too stubborn to try and untangle the parts of the language which I found challenging. I've recently started reading a lot more and just picked up Hamlet and man did I miss so much from it. The poetry, the masterful expression of such complicated themes, everything about it brings me such joy, and that's what I'm wondering today.
What is it about literature like this that makes me feel so alive? What quality does it possess which differs it from something like a video game or an action movie? In the answer to this question i think is the answer to 'why study literature in the first place?' in which , though i have some reasons of my own i am certain of, i would love the insight of all of you. Bonus points if you can relate it to any specific philosophers/schools of thought. Since all of you read I'm sure you all have some sort of answer to offer so lets hear it.