Gridlock: Every MMO Player's Nightmare

While I consider myself as a dedicated and devout player to the Online Game that I bind myself into (I find addict as an inadequate term to describe my condition XD), my online lifestyle is not always a life of easy-going, progressing character in terms of level, skills, equipments, and build. I'm sure that the challenge I am often met with every MMORPG is also prevalent among my peers in the industry as well - I call it Gridlock.

Mr. Google defines Gridlock as the inability to move through a transport network, in other words, traffic jam! In the realm of online gaming, whenever I find myself (and my character) struck with Gridlock, I am always unable to level-up, often getting killed by the simplest of mobs and sometimes not managing to attain the levels I had expected I would attain.

What normally causes Gridlock? For me, here are some nasty symptoms that it's about to come my way:

• When I find another game that merits my attention (Or if an old interest to an old PC game suddenly awakens deep in my subconscious. Lately my attention in Perfect World has been slightly marred by the revival of my Civilization III: Conquests mania LOL)
• When monsters kill me often. This normally happens when I am on a point in my leveling when the monsters that I must kill are my absolute nightmares (physical hitters are a magic-user's worst enemy). Normally I find myself swearing to myself when a monster kills me for the nth time. Experience lost is time lost as well.
• When the clan or party I am in are starting to get... well, irritating. I don't normally engage into arguments online since it counters my personality so much, but when I find my companions being - forgive the profanity - assholes ingame, I tend to lie back a bit and let myself cool down.
• Worst of all, when I am overtaken in levels. Competition seemed to be an aspect that has embedded itself in my bloodstream and I cannot detach it no matter what therapies and brainwashings I do to myself. When I find myself lagging behind in levels, I tend to get depressed and level slower (instead of typically working doubly hard to get even)

Normally Gridlock brings me to my knees for about a month at the worst (especially when i get addicted to other games too - attention is severely divided), but thankfully I have several cures to this queer disease of mine:

• Whenever I find games starting to distract me from the online game I play, I normally log in to the Online Game for at least once a week. Eventually the thrill of getting new achievements ingame, new levels and quests, those stuff normally get me back on track and before I know it, the other games have already been forgotten XD
• Whenever monsters kill me often, I normally ask help from my clanmates or friends. Most often they are more than willing to help, especially my close friends in the Holy Order. They're always there for someone in need *winks*
• Normally arguments within the clan do not last long so thankfully the symptom of having a rowdy clan never shakes me much. We try to listen to problems as openly as possible and try to arrive at a just settlement of the issues.
• When I am overtaken, I just continuously convince myself that eventually I will reach max level... I can do it this time... thankfully that mantra works for me lol.

Thus defines my greatest challenge in every MMORPG I play: Gridlock, and how I bested it with my own and my friends' aid. Remember, no man is an island, seek out friends and companions ingame so you don't get too bored of it easily.

This wraps it up as my sixth and final entry for GM Tristan's Group Writing Contest. Judgment day is here! LOL.