Did you install any new XP patches today? It is "patch Tuesday" after all. Something might have changed there.
Otherwise, the fact that two MMOs are the only apps affected makes me think you should have a talk with your ISP.
If their network or DNS servers are bogged down for some reason, the game clients might be timing out while mail and web browsers still work, as they're
not as sensitive to latency--though when that's happened here, it's usually just been a matter of waiting a minute and trying again, and I would think
you'd notice some slowness in web browsing and such, too, at least for sites that aren't cached on the local machine or network.
Otherwise, the fact that two MMOs are the only apps affected makes me think you should have a talk with your ISP.
If their network or DNS servers are bogged down for some reason, the game clients might be timing out while mail and web browsers still work, as they're
not as sensitive to latency--though when that's happened here, it's usually just been a matter of waiting a minute and trying again, and I would think
you'd notice some slowness in web browsing and such, too, at least for sites that aren't cached on the local machine or network.