Playing online games has its rewards as winners of the recent JumboPlay Screenshot Contest organised by The Star Online will attest.

All contestants had to do to win fabulous prizes was to play a game and submit a screenshot according to the specifics given. There were three games to choose from.

International Medical University student Chin Chean Yong won big by bagging a 17in Sony flatscreen monitor when he came in first for the Zoo Tycoon challenge.

In the game, contestants had to build their own zoo with the winner being the one with most authentic and original zoo design.

Chin, who enjoys computer games like WarCraft III, had to build several zoos before submitting his winning entry.

[color=#666666]BIG WIN: From left Jumboplay president Josh Galloway, Chin, Koh Chuan Kong (representing Sook Cheng) and I.Star brand development executive Nicholas Khoo after the prize-giving ceremony.[/color]

"It was a pretty fun game. I built maybe about five zoos before submitting my final screenshot," said the 19-year-old during the prize-giving ceremony at Menara Star recently.

Winning seems to be a family affair as Chin’s younger sister also bagged the grand prize in another game, Diner Dash. Sook Cheng, who couldn’t be at the event, achieved the highest score in her quest to help a waitress named Flo earn the most at her job.

Coming in second was Teo Han Ping, who won a Sony walkman MP3 player. Teo, who is studying at Multimedia University, said that Diner Dash had its own challenges.

"Finishing the game was not a problem," said the 21-year-old. "But getting the high score needed to win the contest was a challenge."

In a funny twist of fate, Teo’s younger brother Han Chuin also won second prize for the third game called Prince of Persia. Contestants were required to take the best action shot of the Prince, who is battling to save his kingdom.

Like his brother, the University of Nottingham undergraduate also walked away with a Sony walkman MP3 player.

All winners have been notified by e-mail.

Source: http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2006/11/21/prodit/16051497&sec=prodit