The world is currently divided into two groups: people who are spending an baffling amount of their day out hunting down virtual Pokemon monsters; and those who think that the world is going mad because people are spending a baffling amount of their day out hunting down virtual Pokemon monsters.
Regardless of which group you fall in to the global success of the augmented reality game, which asks its players to go out and ‘find’ Pokemon hidden characters that are only identifiable via their smartphone’s camera, has had its fair share of good heart-warming stories attached to it.
This is most evident is by a Syrian news service who have taken advantage of game’s appeal to raise interest in the plight of refugee children.
The campaign, started by the Revolutionary Forces of Syria’s media office, features pictures of children in Syrian villages holding up printouts with popular Pokemon characters with a ‘come save me’ plea.
The campaign is asking gamers to take a break from hugely popular game, which has started a frenzied hunt for digital creatures, and turn their attention to young people trapped in war zones.
A spokesperon for RFS, which is based in Turkey and has reporters in Syrian cities, told The Independent: “We want to raise awareness and draw attention to the plight of Syrian children in besieged areas and the suffering of Syrian people who are attacked and killed.”
