There’s nothing quite like a charity event that panders to the yobbo instinct of making yourself vaguely horrible-looking. Still, raising awareness of neglected men’s health issues, such as depression and prostate cancer, is a solid cause so I give Movember a pass (even though I’m convinced half the idiots who begin cultivating fuzz on the month don’t really have the wherewithal to arrange sponsorship).

This year there’s added incentive for the geek massive to get involved, Movember it up and Rockstar Games may feature your ‘stached visage in their upcoming Red Dead Redemption game.

The male of the species is woefully underrepresented at the doctor’s office; males tend to put off getting their ailments checked out, neglect the health services available, and all too often forfeit the chance of early disease detection and treatment. Movember is a worldwide event that seeks to change such behaviour by highlighting the men’s health opportunities that exist and underscoring the foolishness of not taking advantage of them. And few things highlight foolishness more effectively than trying to grow a moustache.

Gamers have often been stereotyped as a hairy lot, though its usually in the company of adjectives like fat and sweaty, rather than the manly, Tom Selleck sense of the word. There’s never been a better chance to shake the stigma of a prepubescent upper lip, however, as this Movember Rockstar Game’s are supporting the cause, offering the chance to have your month’s growth featured in their upcoming Western epic, Red Dead Redemption.

The frontier was a place of hard folk and even harder facial hair, so if you want to be in with a shot you better start getting in that Al Swearengen frame of mind (though don’t start sprouting yet, official rules require a clean shave come November 1^st). Follow the steps to get on your way:

• Register at the official Movember website. 

• Register your email address with Rockstar Games’ personal grooming department.

• Start shaking down your friends and family for monetary support.

• Get your handlebars handling, your horseshoe arching, your pencil sharpened, or your walrus bristling. 

• Email a photo of your hairy mug at the end of the month.
  

Along with being turned into a character in the game you’ll also receive a custom portrait of your character should your mug shot be selected.

And, since the Rockstar crew keep excitedly filling up my inbox with nifty stuff for all their upcoming titles, why not check out this latest glimpse of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City, a little peek at the new anime sensation sweeping Liberty City: