ABSTRACT
Liberal humanism is interested in the foundations of a medium, and the foundations of the human story. More than a decade later, the Pokemon series is still releasing games featuring characters that map to many of the same archetypes, but that also surprise the player by subverting the established archetypes in unexpected ways. Colors are an interesting symbol to examine in games because they are able to communicate not only an emotional purpose but a mechanical one-whether it be to denote allies and enemies, symbolize icons in a puzzle, or differentiate levels and spaces. Texts allow the reader to not only explore human emotions in unconventional or fantastical settings but also to explore how universal truths might apply to non-human characters. By asking the audience to imagine how human emotions might be applied to personified animals, fictional species, or sentient artificial intelligence, the people are encouraged to step back and look at universal truths from a more objective position.
