Amid the craze over virtual characters in the smartphone-based "Pokemon Go" game, a Pokemon that people can touch in the physical world has mysteriously appeared in New Orleans.

A gunman and his underage driver tried to rob a group of people playing the popular Pokemon Go game, triggering a shootout after one of the players pulled out his own weapon at a Las Vegas park that has become a hot spot for virtual creature hunting.

There have been numerous reports of angry homeowners in Vancouver telling Pokemon players to get off their lawns.