<s>
Starbright	B-Application
World	I-Application
was	O
an	O
online	O
community	O
for	O
children	O
with	O
chronic	O
illnesses	O
established	O
in	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
conceived	O
as	O
a	O
3D	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
for	O
use	O
in	O
hospitals	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Worlds	O
Inc	O
.	O
for	O
the	O
Starbright	O
Foundation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
3D	O
world	O
―	O
credited	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
applications	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
in	O
medicine	O
―	O
operated	O
until	O
1997	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
shut	O
down	O
due	O
to	O
technical	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worlds	O
Inc	O
.	O
would	O
later	O
launch	O
lawsuits	O
against	O
several	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
game	I-Application
companies	O
,	O
claiming	O
that	O
they	O
held	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
multiplayer	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
based	O
on	O
patents	O
obtained	O
in	O
relation	O
to	O
Starbright	B-Application
World	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
planning	O
for	O
Starbright	B-Application
World	I-Application
began	O
in	O
1993	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
Starbright	B-Application
World	I-Application
was	O
conceived	O
as	O
a	O
3D	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
in	O
which	O
children	O
could	O
interact	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
using	O
avatars	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
accessed	O
Starbright	B-Application
World	I-Application
through	O
terminals	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
private	O
DS3	O
network	O
that	O
linked	O
hospitals	O
to	O
one	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
program	O
also	O
supported	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spielberg	O
and	O
Norman	O
Schwarzkopf	O
Jr.	O
(	O
Starbright	O
's	O
chair	O
of	O
fundraising	O
)	O
made	O
cameos	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
E.T.	B-Application
</s>
<s>
Starbright	B-Application
World	I-Application
was	O
an	O
early	O
example	O
of	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
game	O
and	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
uses	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
in	O
medicine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
editor	O
for	O
the	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
criticized	O
Starbright	B-Application
World	I-Application
for	O
being	O
"	O
slow	O
and	O
clumsy	O
"	O
and	O
lacking	O
interactive	O
activities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starbright	B-Application
World	I-Application
was	O
relaunched	O
in	O
July	O
1998	O
as	O
a	O
social	O
network	O
including	O
message	O
boards	O
,	O
chat	O
rooms	O
,	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
and	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
2000s	O
,	O
Worlds	O
Inc	O
.	O
claimed	O
that	O
they	O
held	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
multiplayer	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
based	O
on	O
patents	O
relating	O
to	O
Starbright	B-Application
World	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
led	O
them	O
to	O
file	O
lawsuits	O
against	O
several	O
MMO	B-Application
companies	O
.	O
</s>
