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[GDJustin]

http://www.gamedaily.com/general/feature/?id=771

I'm not ashamed to admit that about 95% of the people who write about videogames aren't actual journalists. They're more like puppets whose strings are being manipulated by publishers that dictate the rules of cyber space, or how coverage should be handled.

But isn't this supposed to be a news industry? Isn't all coverage good coverage? Does it really make sense to mail copies of your latest basketball game to two or three publications when you could blitz everyone at once and have reviews running on several different channels?

Before you ask, yes my employer is Gamedaily, no that has nothing to do with why I'm linking this, and no, I won't reveal Jezebel Sinclair's identity.

Anyway, my two cents is that she brings up some extremely valid points, but could go about it in a manner that probably would have given her a better chance at actually bringing people over to her side (IE less crude references, more genuine calling out of shady behavior, although I'm fine with names not being named... names aren't the point).

PS- See if you can spot the GAF shout-out.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

I'm not ashamed to admit that about 95% of the people who write about videogames aren't actual journalists. They're more like puppets whose strings are being manipulated by publishers that dictate the rules of cyber space, or how coverage should be handled.

let me guess: the author is one of the 5%?

 

[Matlock]

The veil over the author of this one is as thin as the one foisted upon the GA Ninja Gaiden review.

 

[GDJustin]

The veil over the author of this one is as thin as the one foisted upon the GA Ninja Gaiden review.

Alright then Matlock (LOL GET IT?!?) go ahead and spoil it if you're so sure. If you're thinking who I bet you are, you're wrong.

 

[Matlock]

What's the point? I'll ask him my own damn self if it's him when I see him on AIM next time instead of running rounds with you.

 

[ManaByte]

This is the second article this week from someone bitching about how IGN and Gamespot get all the attention from PR, and the rant was annoying the first time we heard it.

 

[GDJustin]

What's the point? I'll ask him my own damn self if it's him when I see him on AIM next time instead of running rounds with you.

You were the one that posted stating that you knew who it was... I was just responding to that. Yet you're asking ME what the point is?

Why did you make that post in the first place? The only thing I can deduce is that the point must have been you wanting to inform this thread's readers that you, matlock, knew the author of this article. I guess... thanks for that news, then? *confused*

 

[JackFrost2012]

But isn't this supposed to be a news industry? Isn't all coverage good coverage? Does it really make sense to mail copies of your latest basketball game to two or three publications when you could blitz everyone at once and have reviews running on several different channels?

The problem with that is that 95% of game journos aren't professionals at all, and thus your game stands a far greater chance of hitting the pirate sites months in advance of the official release date.

 

[Jonnyram]

Is there any Firefox plugin to disable this "SPONSORED LINK" bullshit. I'm pretty sick of it now.

 

[GDJustin]

The problem with that is that 95% of game journos aren't professionals at all, and thus your game stands a far greater chance of hitting the pirate sites months in advance of the official release date.

Noted.

Again, I'm loathe to agree with Jezebel here, because I only halfheartedly agree with her editorial, but I took from it two main beefs-

1- The relationship between publications/journos and VG publishers is way, way too incestual.

2- There is a disconnect somewhere, where a freelancer can be FLOWN OUT somewhere and put up in a hotel, yet can't get a review copy. Anyone they would spend that much money on they have to trust to not leak code, I would think?

 

[StoOgE]

PS- See if you can spot the GAF shout-out.

You made it sound like Where's Waldo or something, but there it is plain as day.. I was hoping for something about magazine racks or C-..

 

[Jonnyboy117]

We've all heard the stuff about junkets before. It's true but not necessarily dirty. The way I see it, it's PR's job to throw whatever they can at us writers to influence us beyond what we think of the game itself. It's our job as writers to enjoy all those perks but completely ignore them when it comes time to start writing. Some writers are more capable of this feat than others, just as some PR folks are more capable at their job than others.

Regarding review copies, I pretty much agree with the author, but writing an editorial to bitch about it won't help anything. All of us game writers (I'm avoiding "journalists" to stay above that argument) already know the problems with review copies, and disclosing those problems to readers accomplishes nothing. Readers aren't going to rise up en masse and nag publishers until they improve review build policies.

If you want to improve those policies, take it up with the publishers. If the PR people play the "my hands are tied by management" game, then go above their heads and deal with the higher-ups. Get to the root of the problem. Not sending out early copies of GameCube titles due to piracy concerns? Yeah, clearly bullshit. So do the legwork and find out what's really going on instead of publicly ranting to an audience who mostly won't sympathize and couldn't get involved even if they did care.

 

[MC Safety]

At least most of the "unprofessional" journalists who write about games have the guts to sign their real names to articles.

 

[newsguy]

Take it for what it's worth. All of these people in the article from the journos to the PR assholes had to study law and ethics to get where they are. No one seems to be following the basic rules. It's the equivalent of payola in radio, Give my shitty game a shining preview, I fly you up to a flashy city and get you liquored up. the site who hired you pissed cause you got the review copy 2 weeks late? Fuck em' take it up with the publisher. In the meantime get your drink and fuck on cause you're sure as hell not getting your play a game and write on.

 

[DDayton]

2- There is a disconnect somewhere, where a freelancer can be FLOWN OUT somewhere and put up in a hotel, yet can't get a review copy. Anyone they would spend that much money on they have to trust to not leak code, I would think?

Wait wait wait -- you're saying that a reporter who gleefully accepts free trips is UNLIKELY to leak code? I'm confused.

 

[Patrick Klepek]

This editorial pulls out the same old argument with the same old points but does nothing to provide any solutions. Yes, PR sucks, but journalists need to collectively devise a solution if there's to be any hedway. Throwing up an editorial with an anonymous name means nothing. If this is some heavyweight freelancer, attach your name and show some balls! Some companies might ignore you as a freelancer, sure, but if you're worth a damn, find yourself a position at a real publication and make a difference from the inside.

I'm studying journalism at school, and while I was already aware of the problems inherent within this industry, they're even more depressingly apparent when reading analysis of the mass media from veteran journalists with decades of experiences. They're not talking about the videogames media, but there are plenty of parallels.

Entertainment/film media don't do work any different than videogame writers, yet they're taken more seriously -- why? Writers have established a relationship with studios for rooting out company problems and letting the public respond in outcry -- that never happens in videogames. You have fantastic writers like Geoff Keighly doing great interviews and behind-the-scenes features for G4TV/GameSpot, but all the investigative work is in Business 2.0 and other publications that do little to further the enthusiast press.

I can't say I'm presenting any great solutions either, nor do I profess to really know of any offhand, but I do know that we've all heard the problems a million times before. The problems aren't the issue. The lack of a solution is.

 

[DjangoReinhardt]

We've all heard the stuff about junkets before. It's true but not necessarily dirty. The way I see it, it's PR's job to throw whatever they can at us writers to influence us beyond what we think of the game itself. It's our job as writers to enjoy all those perks but completely ignore them when it comes time to start writing. Some writers are more capable of this feat than others, just as some PR folks are more capable at their job than others.

Not to pick on you, Jonnyboy117, but that's exactly why no one will ever accuse videogame reviewers of actual journalism. It isn't ethical for a real journalist to accept payment like that; in such a case it is just as important to avoid the appearance of impropriety as the act itself. It is the responsibility of a legitimate journalist to refuse those freebies and have their publisher pay for flights/hotels at junkets, not to accept accommodations from the companies you're supposed to cover. Instead, we see reviewers always bragging about the "swag" they got at E3 or how much free booze they drank at Microsoft's latest game launch.

If I can go to your 1up blog and see all the free crap you accepted from the publisher of a game you just reviewed, why the hell should I believe your opinion isn't for sale? Because you said so? It doesn't even have to be as overt as raising the score of a game, either; all it takes is you going a little bit out of your way to be positive about your big exclusive, or to give the benefit of the doubt to pre-release code because the developer swears the problem is going to be fixed. Put it another way: How does the text of EGM's Enter the Matrix cover story from a couple years ago compare to the reviews of the game?

The solution is simple, actually: refuse coverage to any publisher that won't grant you access in a professional manner. If all the media from a given game is straight from the PR guy, why do I even need a middleman like IGN? If that means extra legwork, or that you have to avoid the normal press parties and lose exclusive cover stories, it's the price you pay for integrity. Let GameInformer continue to be a compromised rag, and hope that the market will recognize which media sources are credible. Of course, this presupposes that you have a publisher and editor who are willing to put integrity first - that may very well be certain death in the industry from what I can tell.

If the half-dozen or so biggest outlet got together on this they could solve the problem overnight with a coverage blackout. It's pretty obvious that financial interests are vested in the current system, so I have no reason to believe that it's going to change anytime soon.

 

[BlackClouds]

Here here! Yet the thought that most gamers and casuals actually listen to these "journalists" makes me frown. These companies wouldn't put up the effort if it wasn't so important. I don't think the solution would be that hard to come up with, just the execution, and the will to take on the corporate establishment. That's the hard part, and a good reason why it won't happen.

 

[D2M15]

Some companies might ignore you as a freelancer, sure, but if you're worth a damn, find yourself a position at a real publication

So are freelance journalists who don't want to work at 'real publications' not worth a damn?

 

[Vennt]

Is there any Firefox plugin to disable this "SPONSORED LINK" bullshit. I'm pretty sick of it now.

Seconded. Anyone?

It's enough for me to remove a site from my radar entirely, worse even than banner ads.

 

[FortNinety]

This editorial pulls out the same old argument with the same old points but does nothing to provide any solutions. Yes, PR sucks, but journalists need to collectively devise a solution if there's to be any hedway. Throwing up an editorial with an anonymous name means nothing. If this is some heavyweight freelancer, attach your name and show some balls! Some companies might ignore you as a freelancer, sure, but if you're worth a damn, find yourself a position at a real publication and make a difference from the inside.

I'm studying journalism at school, and while I was already aware of the problems inherent within this industry, they're even more depressingly apparent when reading analysis of the mass media from veteran journalists with decades of experiences. They're not talking about the videogames media, but there are plenty of parallels.

Entertainment/film media don't do work any different than videogame writers, yet they're taken more seriously -- why? Writers have established a relationship with studios for rooting out company problems and letting the public respond in outcry -- that never happens in videogames. You have fantastic writers like Geoff Keighly doing great interviews and behind-the-scenes features for G4TV/GameSpot, but all the investigative work is in Business 2.0 and other publications that do little to further the enthusiast press.

I can't say I'm presenting any great solutions either, nor do I profess to really know of any offhand, but I do know that we've all heard the problems a million times before. The problems aren't the issue. The lack of a solution is.

I feel a major reason why most game writers aren't viewed professionals is that a good deal have no "classical" training. Not only have most not studied journalism in school and "paid their dues" by working on the low end of some established (print) publication, such as an intern, and slowly worked their way up, but a good majority of them are simply teenagers that got noticed by posting on message boards and creating a fansite. Granted, the same exact thing happens to today with other forms of entertainment writing, but considering how focused game writing is compared to, say film writing, which can have a greater degree of overlap with other forms of media, at least in most people's eye, as well as the fact that film/television/music writing has been around much longer and was able to flourish without the help of the internet, the sentiment is certainly understandable. The blog craze simply takes everything down a few notches, but again, game journalism seem to be hit the worse.

But when also doesn't help is that many simply don't take the job seriously. When one does and tries to suggest a change, but simply point and laugh. Only once such a self-centered attitude is dropped can things finally start to evolve and improve.

 

[Flynn]

It's okay to be frustrated, but to whine anonymously like this makes the rest of us look bad.

 

[tetsuoxb]

.

 

[StorablePrawn]

Every field is like this in the mainstream, for the most part. The music industry is an exception what with magazines like Rolling Stone (fantastic journalism, even if I don't agree with the majority of their reviews personally). Even so, we still see loads of unproffesional journalism even in that field, and it's all right in the forefront. For example, Spin made the ludicrous choice to lump every slightly experiemental modern band/musician into the single idiotic category "noise punk." Wolf Eyes and the Blood Brothers should never be in the same genre. Ever. (Should I call Emil Beaulieu dance punk because he's been stripping his middle-aged ass down to his undies at shows, at the dismay of his entire audience?) Entertainment journalism is cracked. Look at MTV, look at Entertainment Weekly, look at any media field and you'll see a bunch of daft writers doing exactly what they are told to keep the advertisers and thus their publisher happy.

The only difference between videogames and any other medium is that the journalists on top are slightly more retarded than your average writer for People magazine. When the most well-known "provocative" journalist in a medium is as daft as Matt Cassamassina, you know you're in trouble, I guess. But it's not like alternative publications don't exist. Insert-Credit, Gamers Quarterly, these publications all take a very different look at games than the "mainstream" websites and magazines. Their content is debatable, but it's sure as hell not meant to satisfy any suits.

The point is, Alternative Press is going to keep giving Black Dice records the lowest scores possible while dumping praise on daft acts like Taking Back Sunday, and Matt Cassamassina is always going to be a complete moron.

 

[Vennt]

Just curious, how is the perk system any different from Payola in the music industry?

And if it *is* effectively the same, how long do you think it will be before moves are made to stamp it out?

Surely whats good for one part of the entertainment industry is good for another is it not?

 

[FunnyBunny]

As somebody who works in the non-gaming media (television news), I think it's unfair to expect game writers to be journalsts in the first place.

One of the cardinal rules of journalism is to remain unbiased, and to keep opinions out of stories (just the facts). A game review, which is essentially and op/ed piece, is the exact opposite.

Game writers are, by and large, editorialists.

That said, there are many problems in the industry, and payola is one of them. And until the big boys tell companies to screw themselves when offered perk for good reviews, the smaller pubs will follow suit.

 

[drohne]

theory: critics of the enthusiast games press fixate on questions of protocol and independence because it's easier to moralize than to write well and demand good writing.

 

[FortNinety]

As somebody who works in the non-gaming media (television news), I think it's unfair to expect game writers to be journalsts in the first place.

One of the cardinal rules of journalism is to remain unbiased, and to keep opinions out of stories (just the facts). A game review, which is essentially and op/ed piece, is the exact opposite.

Game writers are, by and large, editorialists.

That's a very interesting point of view.

BTW, is it just me, or are many game journalists unjustifiably bitter and angry? I knew this person who would bitch about revieiwing shitty games, and while I was in the same boat, I saw no reason to complain. I was getting paid to play a video game, that's like every teenage boy's wet dream.

As I stated before, a major problem seems to stem from the fact that game journalists don't take the work seriously, and laugh at others who do, when in fact they take themselves too seriously.

 

[Beer Monkey]

I met a lot of 'game journos' at E3 years ago. In fact, I was supposed to be one. :lol

It seemed that most of them really wanted to work for the game companies themselves, but they weren't trained to code or design.

This is especially bad, because nobody wants to say anything bad about a company that they'd like to get hired at in the future.

 

[shuri]

I met a lot of 'game journos' at E3 years ago. In fact, I was supposed to be one. :lol

It seemed that most of them really wanted to work for the game companies themselves, but they weren't trained to code or design.

[...]

Look they have revolutionary ideas and concepts THAT WILL CHANGE THE INDUSTRY SIR >:[

 

[Matlock]

I'll be forthright when I say that "game journalism" is just a hobby based on my hobby of gaming.

Do I recieve free shit? Yes.
Do I care about the legitimacy of my writing? No.
Have I ever let a flashy trinket sway my opinion of a game? No.

 

[Vennt]

theory: critics of the enthusiast games press fixate on questions of protocol and independence because it's easier to moralize than to write well and demand good writing.

That makes no sense, some of those who would criticize have zero desire to write at all, a consumer for instance can justifiably criticize this practice as it's a short step away from pay-for-scores which many suspect anyway, which is as good as fraudulent IMO.

I could counter that with:

theory: critics of those that debate this issue fixate on it's supposed "triviality" and rely on arguments of "everybody does it, don't be niaive" because they don't want to see the few perks and chance at $$$ removed in the name of impartial journalism.

 

[Xellotah]

Game writers are people that have pride, integrity and backbone and would never let free trinkets sway their opinions on a game.

 

[Vennt]

Game writers are people that have pride, integrity and backbone and would never let free trinkets sway their opinions on a game.

Disc Jockeys are people with pride, integrity and backbone and would never let free trinkets sway their decision whether or not to play a single on air...Oh wait...

(And yes, I know you were likely being sarcastic, but it's an opportunity to reinforce my point )

 

[Dr_Cogent]

None of that article came as any surprise. It all sounded like how I figured it worked.

 

[StorablePrawn]

I guess we need Kyle the Ombudsman to investigate this one.

 

[Flynn]

Criticism and journalism aren't the same thing.

Reviews are criticism.
Previews and profiles are entertainment/enthusiast writing.
News is journalism.

There's no such thing as impartial criticism. The point of criticism is to have an opinion about the subject. The idea that you have to go into a review with a perfectly white-washed brain is fairly ridiculous.

Perspective is part of criticism. You come into a review with pre-conceived notions, prefrences and prejudices. These inform your writing. They should inform your writing.

Previews/profiles and the like are meant to sate the appetite of enthusiasts for a coming product. They may contain news. They may contain criticism or opinion. Their purpose is to inform and entertain.

News, such as how much the Xbox 360 is going to cost and what the launch games are going to be, is journalism.

 

[Xellotah]

Disc Jockeys are people with pride, integrity and backbone and would never let free trinkets sway their decision whether or not to play a single on air...Oh wait...

(And yes, I know you were likely being sarcastic, but it's an opportunity to reinforce my point )

Well to be fair, there is such things as reputation... good disc jockeys value their reputation, just as good game writers do.

 

[Flynn]

Well to be fair, there is such things as reputation... good disc jockeys value their reputation, just as good game writers do.

Like disc jockeys even have the power to decide what songs get played anymore.

 

[Mooreberg]

I guess we need Kyle the Ombudsman to investigate this one.

:lol

 

[Willco]

Both industries suck.

 

[Vennt]

Criticism and journalism aren't the same thing.

Reviews are criticism.
Previews and profiles are entertainment/enthusiast writing.
News is journalism.

There's no such thing as impartial criticism. The point of criticism is to have an opinion about the subject. The idea that you have to go into a review with a perfectly white-washed brain is fairly ridiculous.

Perspective is part of criticism. You come into a review with pre-conceived notions, prefrences and prejudices. These inform your writing. They should inform your writing.

Previews/profiles and the like are meant to sate the appetite of enthusiasts for a coming product. They may contain news. They may contain criticism or opinion. Their purpose is to inform and entertain.

News, such as how much the Xbox 360 is going to cost and what the launch games are going to be, is journalism.

Ok, so throw journalism out the window, I'm fine with that and agree.

However that doesn't change the issue, how can you be trusted by the reader/consumer to be given a true or worthwhile opinion if you are recieving perks from those whose products you are meant to be reviewing?

This is the crux of it.

My simple answer is that you cannot, and therefore have not read any "reviews" in publications or on websites for over 5 years or more, and due to viral marketings boom I don't trust reader reviews that much either.

Reviews do one thing for me, provide media, if I want to know how good a game is I'll rent it or wait for word of mouth.

Like disc jockeys even have the power to decide what songs get played anymore.

And this was a move instigated directly by the radio stations to combat payola scandals that were costing them their reputation and congressional attention.

 

[Xellotah]

Like disc jockeys even have the power to decide what songs get played anymore.

Well that depends... are all DJs' the same to you or can you tell which ones are 'more' independent than others.

 

[Eggo]

Here is a decent rule of thumb to follow:

There is no bias in major gaming media due to money hats, because all the major media are wearing money hats from each and every publisher. How the fuck do you think Blasto got the cover of next gen? The insinuation that there is a payola like scheme involved is insulting to the people who work in this industry.

Jezebel - if you couldn't land a halfway decent job working at a real publication - go hug your empty TEST PS2 and cry in a corner. PR reps don't want 2-3 page reviews on a fairly popular site... there job is to get high profile print coverage, high profile online coverage, and high profile tv coverage. After that comes the freelancers, etc. This isn't a perverted system, it is how it is supposed to work. Maximize your marketing dollars. If you, or one of your fellow freelancers, leaked a copy of the game after receiving it for some mid-level fansite review, the producer of the game, PR manager, and half of the biz types would be demanding heads on poles, starting with PR. It isnt worth the risk for them, especially for such limited reward.

I urge you all to think about games, and games PR, as a business. Remember that, and it makes screaming bias here and there, or complaining about stingy publishers, seem like a waste of time.

I agree with this post. When you're doing PR, you only have a limited amount of time and builds. If you're looking to maximize exposure, of course the higher profile sites, magazines, and freelancers get code first.

As for the GD article, it touches on some valid points, but I particularly loathe the inflammatory nature with no solutions offered, as exxy pointed out. I see people who harbor conspiracy theories of how publishers outright buy game review scores - which to me is ridiculous. Cloudy articles like this give ammunition to these people.

As somebody who works in the non-gaming media (television news), I think it's unfair to expect game writers to be journalsts in the first place.

One of the cardinal rules of journalism is to remain unbiased, and to keep opinions out of stories (just the facts). A game review, which is essentially and op/ed piece, is the exact opposite.

Game writers are, by and large, editorialists.

That said, there are many problems in the industry, and payola is one of them. And until the big boys tell companies to screw themselves when offered perk for good reviews, the smaller pubs will follow suit.

QFT. The problem is people don't know the difference between a news story, a review, and a preview. One is fact-based, another is opinion-based (it's supposed to be biased), and the latter is a mixture of both with an optimistic outlook. Pointing out flaws in a preview is fine, but taking out the shovel and beating a game down in preview form is frowned upon for good reason.

 

[xsarien]

That's a very interesting point of view.

BTW, is it just me, or are many game journalists unjustifiably bitter and angry? I knew this person who would bitch about revieiwing shitty games, and while I was in the same boat, I saw no reason to complain. I was getting paid to play a video game, that's like every teenage boy's wet dream.

More like a misplaced sense of entitlement. The fact of the matter is that - for better or for worse - anyone can register a domain name, make a website, and magically call themselves a "gaming journalist." Then all of a sudden, they expect to get the same treatment and respect as outlets that have been around for much longer that either have a much larger audience, more experienced writers (keeping *news* free from editorializing), contacts, or a mix of all three.

 

[Flynn]

Well that depends... are all DJs' the same to you or can you tell which ones are 'more' independent than others.

We're talking about radio DJs, not club DJs.

Radio dj's today are disc jockeys in name only. Most music comes pre-loaded via computer -- the songs programmed in advance. The DJ job is to introduce, not select music. Many stations are pre-recorded like the nationwide station Jack FM.

My simple answer is that you cannot, and therefore have not read any "reviews" in publications or on websites for over 5 years or more, and due to viral marketings boom I don't trust reader reviews that much either.

Wow. That's pretty paranoid. I read reviews to see what somebody else has to say about a movie, game, record or whatever. I don't really care what circumstances led up to them saying it. I read their piece, am entertained or stimulated by it and file the thoughts away.

I don't feel burned if some critic likes a movie and I don't. It's a matter of opinion and ours differ.

I guess what it comes down to is that I like to read about media. I enjoy criticism. It helps me understand my own feelings about a work of art by either underlining my attitudes toward it, or by countering them.

In college I was taught that criticism's job is to "illuminate the text." I prefer this approach to the Consumer Reports approach that many gamers seem to demand.

 

[D2M15]

BTW, is it just me, or are many game journalists unjustifiably bitter and angry?

Well, you are pretty unjustifiably bitter and angry, but it's not just you.

 

[drohne]

That makes no sense, some of those who would criticize have zero desire to write at all...

i was thinking of "the videogame ombudsman" or articles like this one, all of which seem to sound the same note of indignation. here's my point: free an arbitrarily chosen game journalist from any pr interference and he still isn't likely to write anything i want to read. the total inanity of the review he's just written is more troubling than the half-point his editor may have added to the score in order to please the pr girl he may be having drinks with later. i think people who fixate on a game journalist's ethics or independence are fixating on the the grille detailing or driver's-side legroom of a car that doesn't go.

 

[Ghengis Cohen]

I don't feel burned if some critic likes a movie and I don't. It's a matter of opinion and ours differ.

I would however feel burned if a movie/book critic relentlessly hyped up a product based on something that is not the final product (such as a trailer) and then reveiws the final poorly. This, however, is the norm in videogame journalism. There is rarely any thought provoking analysis involved in writing about games as in other types of criticism, and instead what the gamer get is a ten page hype sheet/price guide to the XBox-360 (to cite an example from EGM, but I am not singling them out) and I do feel burned about this.

 

[D2M15]

free an arbitrarily chosen game journalist from any pr interference and he still isn't likely to write anything i want to read.

I would positively encourage PR payola if the criteria wasn't for scores or pages, but that the recipient had to write something that a reader would remember for longer than it takes to flick through a mag for the scores, scan the screenshots, throw it in the bin and get back to depressing circular arguments on the internet about texture resolution.

There's so much more that could be done with games writing, and if it takes being bribed with expensive electrical goods to bring it out, then hey, it's got to be worth a shot.

If that doesn't work, we can move on to electro-shock therapy.