{"id":675376,"date":"2026-04-04T23:48:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T23:48:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/the-video-game-mop-up-solution-to-all-of-lifes-problems"},"modified":"2026-04-04T23:48:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T23:48:39","slug":"the-video-game-mop-up-solution-to-all-of-lifes-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-video-game-mop-up-solution-to-all-of-lifes-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"The video game mop-up: solution to all of life’s problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\nRecently I have been in one of those periods where no video game will do, where I have chased a game – a something – across download libraries and subscription catalogues and a couple of cupboard drawers in vain, a quest across gaming’s ribcage and shoulder blades for some roaming, ineffable itch that I cannot scratch. I suspect I’m not alone in this one, though, so if you ever find yourself in the same spot, may I suggest: the mop-up.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe mop-up has many forms. For me, somewhat uncreatively, it’s the task of completing a “living ‘dex” in Pokémon – catching one of every Pokémon ever released and storing them all, in order, in one place, including all the many different forms and stages of each evolution. This makes it a bit more long-winded than completing a regular regional or national Pokédex, because you couldn’t just catch, say, one Abra and then evolve it into Kadabra, then Alakazam, crossing off all three at once – you need one of each in your possession simultaneously. <\/p>\n

\nThe challenge is really besides the point, though. A good mop-up, I reckon, will always have a few common elements. One is that it happens, by definition, at the end of a game you’ve broadly completed – think finishing sidequests, bumping off the last surviving enemies on a given list, wiping the final factions off a map, et cetera.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently I have been in one of those periods where no video game will do, where I have chased a game – a something – across download libraries and subscription catalogues and a couple of cupboard drawers in vain, a quest across gaming’s ribcage and shoulder blades for some roaming, ineffable itch that I cannot scratch. I suspect I’m not alone in this one, though, so if you ever find yourself in the same spot, may I suggest: the mop-up. The mop-up has many forms. For me, somewhat uncreatively, it’s the task of completing a “living ‘dex” in Pokémon – catching one of every Pokémon ever released and storing them all, in order, in one place, including all the many different forms and stages of…<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":675377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[230],"tags":[79,6746,21,424,2162,34,53],"class_list":["post-675376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eurogamer","tag-fantasy","tag-kidsfamily","tag-nintendo-switch","tag-open-world","tag-pokemon-sword-and-shield","tag-rpg","tag-science-fiction"],"yoast_head":"\nThe video game mop-up: solution to all of life's problems | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Recently I have been in one of those periods where no video game will do, where I have chased a game - a something - across download libraries and\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-video-game-mop-up-solution-to-all-of-lifes-problems\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The video game mop-up: solution to all of life's problems | Arcader News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recently I have been in one of those periods where no video game will do, where I have chased a game - 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