GemFall Online (GFO) is a Natural language based MMO Game. Although I don't have any idea what that meant, the game store clerk threw out this complicated jargon left and right, I don't understand any words that came out of his mouth.

  Even so, I was actually impressed with his presentation. I was hyped. Happy for humanity.

  After hearing him talk about all these complicated words, I thought “wow technology has made it so far”. I thought this called for a celebration, so I ended up buying a copy of the game. I didn't expect 4 free bonus copies though.

  It was a spur of a moment thing. It caused quite a dent on my pocket. This was nothing new. This happens a lot. I realized my mistake when i was preparing my dinner, it was too late.

  i thought this would be like the usual routine. I'm supposed to mull over my mistake only to do it again later. It's like a running gag at this point. My life is a big joke. I was ready to go through the night with an empty stomach.

  But no, this day’s different. My hunger would disappear and all of my worries would become irrelevant at the launch of the game. My life would be changed and I am getting a second chance. Thank you, passionate clerk guy. I'll be forever grateful.

  ********

  It's 8:00 pm. An hour has already passed since the start of the game. Igmi’s body might lack the calories needed for an all nighter, but he has all the euphoria needed to keep going.

  Igmi was one of the lucky people who managed to somehow land a copy of Gemfall and be able to play at launch date. This would give him an immense fighting chance for the prize.

  His room is dark and silent. Flickering monitor lights illuminate his excited face. Quite a creepy sight. He's smiling a lot. He's even whistling some tunes. But 1 hr in, and Igmi’s face is showing signs that things aren't going well.

  The only noise that could be heard is the low hum of his console and the constant creaking of his chair, Since he’s changing his sitting posture every minute or so. Subconsciously he thought, maybe his wrong posture is giving him a bad game.

  **

  An aspiring group of friends are hoping to become professional esports players. For this reason, they moved away from the comfort of their home and started living together in a training dorm.

  They had played only a single game all their lives and promised they would be the best at it. They promised they won't stop until they become the world champions. But the moment GemFall arrived, the team decided it was time they changed games.

  They believe they have the skills to win the game. Their team went through a lot together: they rank up together, they rank down together, they rage together, they cry together, they cheer together. They are filled with hope they will prevail over competition. Team work makes the dream work.

  **

  “Games are a waste of time”. But if there’s a 10 billion dollar bounty on it, well, that statement does not apply anymore. That amount of money would attract the attention of people whose decisions could easily affect people’s lives.

  They are supposed to be away from work and should be relaxing right now: bar, casino, at home having dinner with family, or just simply sipping wine by the fireplace. But they would sacrifice their important free time for a meeting.

  The company had big plans for its future and they would need a sizable capital to achieve it. It seemed a perfect solution had arrived right at their doorstep at the right time. These people thought it would be just as easy as hiring the right people for the job.

  A special company division would then be made. They would hire the best in the game scene. Those people that didn't mind having a significant cut if they managed to snag the prize, as long as they get company support.

  They forgot the most important part though. They have to secure a game copy. They tried contacting the game company, but that didn't go well. So you might see some people in business suits lining up in the game stores.

  **

  The streets are very active tonight. Queue on the game store that goes from block to block. While there might be some slight cutting and pushing, other places are not so civil.

  In some video game stores, the streets are a mess. Lots of people loitering around. People would start vandalizing outside the stores and parked cars. Trash cans won't even be spared.

  trash is all over the place.

  People would attempt to break in the stores, but police would arrive and disperse the crowd before things got worse. Some arrests would be made that night.

  **

  You'd think places with armed groups would be as chaotic as some places, but that's not really the case. It's the opposite in fact.

  A young man had been on the line for sometime now. He's irritated as he might not make it on closing time tonight. He's so close to the counter too. That's why he finally lost it when he saw someone walk past him.

  Stolen story; please report.

  When he's about to give the cutting guy a piece of his mind, the cutting guy would give him an intense side eye. The young man would cower and get back to his line.

  The cutting guy would head straight to the counter. The young man made the correct decision because moments later, men in the same clothing-suits, would follow the cutting guy to the counter. They were with him. They all ask for a copy of Gemfall. They would pay for their copy and they would immediately leave.

  But when they were about to leave, another group wearing leather jackets would enter the game store. Everyone lining up knew these two groups were enemies and would often fight in the area. Seeing this, people would get away as far as possible from the store.

  Tension in the air is high. The suits wearing leader would approach the leather jacket wearing leader, and would pat him on the shoulder. The leather jacket men would get ready to draw their weapons.

  But the suits wearing leader would say,

  “I don't want to ruin my copy.”

  The leather jacket guy leader would smirk and proceed to go to the counter- walking past the suits wearing men. The leather jacket wearing men would follow suit. They would buy their game too and leave.

  The crowd hiding on the buildings and bushes around the store would sigh in relief. They are still around because they still have to buy the game.

  **

  A guard on his night shift would hear noises from outside. Sensing trouble, he would draw his weapon and check what the commotion was about. When he opened the window, he would be surprised that there's very many people in queue. He would be confused as to why this is happening.

  It was very silent just a while ago. Now, you have a long queue of people in tents, sleeping bags, and chairs. There's even people cooking in portable stoves and some people having their dinner.

  “SORRY WERE CLOSED NOW. PLEASE VACATE THE PREMISES!”, shouted the guard.

  “We know. We're lining up for tomorrow.” a man replied on the line.

  The guard can do nothing as there are too many of them. He can only shake his head.

  **

  A young man was lying on the sofa watching tv when his grandma came over to ask him for some help. The young man, being a good grandson, obliged right away. He loves his grandma a lot and would be more than happy to help.

  “Honey, can you help me with something?”

  “Yea sure gramma what up?”

  “How can I play this Gemfall game, I can't find it on the app store”

  “GRANDMA NOT YOU TOO??!”

  ********

  So this is Gemfall huh...

  After about an hour or so of gaming, I needed a break. I removed my VR helmet and drank some water. Hydration is important.

  I remember I was feeling happy just before I donned the VR helmet. But now, I don't really know anymore.

  This game sucks.

  Gemfall Online… it's supposed to be a one of a kind game. A game of the future. Well I must admit, the graphics indeed do the part. Like bro, the falling sequence. THE FALLING SEQUENCE BRO! IS INSANE! almost puked. I have a fear of heights and I think I peed myself a bit. Damn devs, you should really put a trigger warning. my goodness.

  But no matter how beautiful the game is, it didn't matter. Because the game is bugged i think? I don't know. I can't do a damn thing. I can't move no matter what I do. I've been pressing every key combination possible, scouring the settings, but nothing. I've been at it for about an hour plus and still nothing.

  When I'm playing a game, I don't really like looking at guides. From my experience, it's more enjoyable discovering hidden things on your own and finding out how things work on your own. But there's a prize at stake here, I must do everything I can to get an advantage.

  I wonder if the same thought came to the devs mind when putting a bounty on the game. I wonder if they had foreseen people like me who sacrificed enjoyment because there's prize money.

  I started typing Gemfall in the search bar in search for answers. It's not even a day yet, but there's lots of articles already. Riot, chaos, price watch, etc. Someone is offering 1k for a game copy already. Damn, lots of things happened while I was out huh.

  Typing “Gemfall tutorial” yields no results. Not surprising. It might be too early. Everyones the same boat as me probably. I need a break.

  I stood for a bit, let my blood circulate through my legs. Then I started pacing. I would click refresh on my browser, but there's still nothing.

  I would start to pace again, throw some random punch. I would click refresh again, but there's still nothing.

  Oh yeah? an idea suddenly hit me. I checked the devs' socials, but there's nothing. “Good luck, have fun” he says. The dev is a man of few words. At least give a hint or something. You were blabbing like a parrot earlier too, but now youre radio silent.

  Reading the replies, there would be lots of people reporting the bugs, asking for a copy, begging, asking for clues, or throwing threats. I hope they still have a budget for security. There's also people with checkmarks asking for a game copy, but they all get ignored. That's so satisfying.

  There would be some live streams. But I guess, it's more of a podcast. They would be discussing the legality stuff and the technicals discussed on the launch. It's not the info I need.

  And there would be actual game live streams. Like me, they're all stuck. The general consensus is to wait out for a patch.

  Checking out the live stream chats, basically it turned into a market. Some offering or selling a copy, trying to find a collaboration, some say they have info, or some are just plain begging.

  Some famous people also have a livestream but it's more of a rant stream. They weren't given a priority copy for review, and like everybody else, have to line up to get one. They didn't like that so they started ranting.

  Digging for info is useless at this point as it's probably very early. I don't have a choice.

  i don back the helmet to try scour the game one last time. Seeing the dev’s socials,

  by now they should be made aware of the bugs and should’ve made a statement, but there's nothing.

  I'm starting to believe it's me who's missing something. There's no way a guy with 10 billion to spend would have a game this bad. There's no way they'll get something so basic, wrong.

  But on a side note, this game looks amazing. It's therapeutic even. I have to give credit to them for pulling something like this off. It's probably even better if I can move around. I want to see more of this game.

  I think I'll just wait here. I don't mind laying on this grassfield for some time. The view here is superb. Is it just me or is the grass too tall?

  there's nothing to do, so i started playing some music. This feels heavenly. I feel like I'm floating.

  This reminds me of back then, me, my little sister and my parents would be in some sort of park located on a hill, I forgot where it was. We would sit and have picnic on the grass overlooking the city. good times.

  Damn…

  this is bad…

  This is bad, this is bad. I almost forgot my goal. I'm losing my touch. Damn. Waiting here was never an option. I should be doing everything to make progress.

  Riots in the news, chaos in the shops. Everyones getting worked up. They're trying their best to access the game. I'm not going to lose against my competition.

  I must keep going. Someone should know what's going on. I didn't want to ask for their help, but I guess I don't have a choice. Sooner or later I have to face them anyway.