Good games give me the same feeling as reading a good fictional novel: I get transported into the universe, following the character or whatever action is unfolding.
More generally, games give the player a goal to achieve, whether that’s winning over others, cooperating with others, completing a campaign, collecting a bunch of goodies (or all the goodies), relaxing and enjoying scenery, crafting min-maxed playthroughs, or trying over and over again to beat a level.
Being focused on this goal can help keep your mind off of whatever is troubling you in the present.
Apparently the materials aren’t extraordinarily rare and the process to create it isn’t too mindboggling. It should be possible for other labs to produce and test.