Lovecraft of all people had an excellent quote describing it that I can’t find but basically, the idea is that the protag is a burly he-man who the reader sort of pretends to be, and lives out all the things he can’t have in life through the fiction. He gets to be attractive and powerful. He can defeat his enemies with brute force and is surrouded by admirers. More women fawn after him than he knows what to do with. Then it’s back outside where people either look at you strangely or avoid looking at you at all.

Lovecraft predicted g*mer story cliches.

G*mer story cliches.