Fans of NaNoWriMo--Grab Your Games and Jump Into "Four in February"

A lot of us writers happen to be be pretty avid gamers as well. Many of us use games as a way to help recharge our creative batteries after a big project, or just de-stress in the midst of deadlines, edits or other anxiety-producing parts of our beloved craft.

For those of us who participate in NaNoWriMo every year, one of the big draws of that challenge is the gamification of it. Seeing your word-tracking bar fill up over the course of the month, earning badges for certain achievements--it's all very familiar to us gamers.

Well if you're a fan of NaNoWriMo and an avid gamer, there's a good chance you'll want in on "Four in February." Started last year by the folks over at Joystiq, the idea behind Four in February is that you pledge to finish four video games during the course of the month. These could be games you've never even started, or ones you've been meaning to finish since you quit a third of the way through two years ago. Doesn't matter--all that matters is you finish four games before February is out.

We got some sad new recently when it was announced that Joystiq would be shutting down, and it would be a great way to celebrate their legacy by participating in an event they created. There's a wonderful community built up around it, They have a Facebook page dedicated to the event, and the Twitter community is using the hashtags #4iF and #FourInFebruary to promote and discuss the challenge all month.

My friends and I will be participating through our gaming blog Co-Op Critics, and we'll be posting videos and streaming gameplay on our Twitch page and YouTube page during the month. you can also follow our progress on Twitter at www.twitter.com/coopcritics.

So grab your games and join the fun. Clock's ticking!