MTV Online in 1995-1996 by Manabu Inada for MTV Interactive Included the virtual 3D chat program, TikkiLand:
“MTV brought an exotic location to cyberspace last week as it debuted a virtual 3-D chat environment dubbed TikkiLand. PC users can enter a virtual tropical environment replete with tiki god images (a la Easter Island), assume an animated avatar persona and talk in real-time audio with other online visitors around a pool. Avatar heads can be customized or users can take on images of a pharaoh or other historical figure. Users need Pentium computers equipped with standard modems and sound cards to participate in online chat sessions. However, says Matt Farber, MTV and new business, “this really isn’t an elitist technology.” MTV plans to stage virtual TikkiLand chat sessions with celebrities and its on-air personalities. Future events could include Beavis and Butt-head doing virtual interviews. MTV kicked off is new online feature on-air last week, with avatars of its VJs in on-air segments. Users can bring other sound, including music, into the environment. The TikkiLand spaces will be limited to 20 participants each. The technology is driven with the use of 10 Sun Microsystems servers on the Internet. Despite audio glitches during a demonstration last week, OnLive expects to finish beta testing TikkiLand within the month.”
Scanned from a 1998 issue of IDEA Magazine.
