Ed Balls Vs. James Paul Gee

When it comes to literacy, the ways tried and true are not always superior! In today’s society there is much talk about the recent leaps and bounds being made in technology. Essentially anything that was once done with pencil, paper and brain-power, can now be done via computer. If advancements in the way of business and luxury are being so widely accepted, I feel the need to ask; why not advancements in education and literacy?


I have read James Paul Gee’s “What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Reading and Literacy” and was very impressed by his open-minded approach to learning to read. The obvious is pointed out when the author states that, “kids who learn with video games develop literacy in ways different and unknown to them”(Gee14). Gee introduces many types of video games in his book as well as shows his own teaching techniques using video games. He presents the argument that while the standard classroom style for teaching literacy is reliable, video games open up new and interesting fields for those who struggle with the demanding attention needed to develop good reading skills. Video gaming should “enhance” literacy, not hold it back. Point blank-James Paul Gee is just trying to say that some kids learn better in a less structured setting. Video games have such a wide variety too! There are entire manufacturing lines dedicated to producing nothing But educational games; video games do not always equal blood and guts as most of the middle-aged populations believe.

As my final assignment for New Media, I was introduced to a column in The Sun that held an article titled “Video Games Ruin Reading”. The focus of the article was that England, in the realm of child literacy and concerning 41 countries, had dropped from number three to number fifteen in rank. The literacy rates and test scores of England were Below even countries like Latvia and Bulgaria. Secretary of Schools, Ed Balls made a blatant stance of the fact that literacy rates were down because of the high number of kids who routinely played video games. His point was made by further stating that the problem lay at home between the parents and their children rather than in the education system. Balls is a believer that access to a television for a child is a hindrance to literacy and furthermore, video games are a major factor in the declining reading rates of England.

I hate to say it….well, really I kind of like to say it….but I think Ed Balls is a bit of an idiot. I can understand and even get behind the statement that kids today are way too consumed in technology. I can even agree that excessive video games and television do in fact cut into time better spent reading an actual book. But to say that “Video games ruin reading” is irresponsible and a bit cowardice in my opinion. Open-mindedness is key in today’s fast paced society. Video games, when used in the right context can be great for kids! Just as Mr. Gee said, games “allow children and adults alike to simulate and learn in an environment more interesting and stimulating than a regular classroom” (Gee 48). Achieving literacy is a process that, in time, will be a long list of collective activities! It is Not Just About the old-fashioned ways. Technology is shooting us into the future in so many other parts of life….Why not education too?!




Gee, James Paul. What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy.
New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

Wooding, David. Video Games Ruin Reading. Whitehall Editor, The Sun.com
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article521951.ece 29 Nov, 2007