Syrian children hold Pokemon pictures as help sign / 敘童照片結合當紅寶可夢 訴遠離戰火心聲　　　　　　　　　

Pokemon GO has become a global success since its initial release on July 6. The free app is one of a new breed of augmented-reality games, in which players use their phones' GPS to travel around the real world while interacting with virtual characters. In the Middle East, photographs of Syrian children holding pictures of popular Pokemon characters, are being used by opposition groups in the devastated country, to spread awareness of their plight. Photographs of Syrian children holding pictures of popular Pokemon characters are being used by opposition groups in the devastated country to spread awareness of their plight. The photos were distributed by the Syrian National Coalition, an alliance of Western-backed activist and rebel groups in the country's five-year civil war. Their release is an attempt to capitalize on the wild success of the "Pokemon GO" game, which challenges players on smartphones to travel to real-world locations to capture the cuddly monsters, using the phone's camera. "If you are looking for a Pokemon you can find it in Syria," the coalition said on Twitter through their communications arm, the Revolutionary Forces of Syria Media Office. One photograph of a child with the franchise-favorite "Pikachu" character reads, "I am trapped in Douma in east Ghouta. Help me." While in the USA, Pokémania is running wild throughout New York, as players of the world's hottest video-game app go on scavenger hunts that include trespassing, office feuds and walking head-on into poles.The Pokémon Go game is even helping some city pizzerias roll in the dough as owners figure out ways to rig the game to draw in business. ==THOMAS LATTANZIO, owner of L'inizio Pizza Bar== When we dropped the module here and people starting flocking - constant - the past five, six days. It's just been amazingly outrageous the amount of people coming in. The shop manager said he paid $10 to have a dozen of the Pokémon characters lured to the store. It drew in so many players, the shop's business went up 75 percent. ==TARA KAMINSKY, Pokémon Go player== You have to go places anyway so why wouldn't you mind having a lure outside a pizza place. The game has rocketed to the top of the App Store and has boosted Nintendo's stock price 25 percent. Gamers wander around in the real world to locations like parks, stores, sidewalks - anywhere, really - viewing the world through their phone screens and looking for Pokémon characters to place in their "Pokédex." TRANSLATED BY：JESSICA OY