PROVO — Remember wishing as a kid that someday you could get paid to play video games?

Provo resident Dan Chan may not yet have figured out how to draw a paycheck for pursuing his electronic hobby, but the home theater system he recently won for doing so will probably do for now.

Chan, an electrical engineering/pre-med major at Brigham Young University, was one of five grand prize winners in a contest sponsored by Gamepro.com, an online video-game review site, and ExpoTV.com, an online consumer review site, to create a review of his favorite video game.

In exchange for his 3-minute review of "Battlefield 2: Armored Fury," Chan won a Sony high-definition, flat-screen television and a surround sound system.

"I was shocked," Chan said. "It was the first time I've won something significant, so I was excited."

Chan, who has been creating video reviews — or "videopinions" — since last November, couldn't pass up the opportunity when he heard about the contest.

"I decided to whip one up since I'm a college student and I do a little computer gaming," Chan said.

In his review, Chan used a "green screen" that allowed him to edit in game footage behind him as he spoke about the game, a trick no other entrant used.

Where did he get the high-tech green screen? His linen closet — it was simply a green bed sheet. Fortunately for Chan, Carolyn, his wife and partner in making the videopinions, is a film major at BYU.

Representatives from ExpoTV.com said the use of the green screen was one of the main reasons Chan's entry was selected for a grand prize.

They said they weren't surprised when they saw Chan's entry because they had a lot of confidence in him to begin with. So much so, in fact, that when they announced the contest, they asked Chan to make a how-to video for other contestants to check out.

"We love Dan and we feel like we know who he is, because we know what he looks like, we know what kind of clothes he wears," ExpoTV.com CEO Daphne Kwon said. "He's been really supportive of what we're trying to do ... he's the perfect example of the consumer voice and he's one of the best we have out there."

Kwon said the idea behind the 2-year-old company is to give consumers a chance to voice their opinions and give others a chance to get informed, independent opinions when shopping for an item.

The company's Web site, www.ExpoTV.com, lists consumer reviews of everything from arts and crafts to travel. Chan's winning entry, as well as the other four grand prize winners, are available for viewing at the site.

"(The videopinions) are all real quality, thoughtful and authentic," Kwon said. "And they're really sincere, because you have to put your face on it."

And Chan, who has done more than 30 videopinions in the past year, plans to be putting his face on more.

"The cool thing about it is they're online and easy to see," Chan said. "When you're looking at a product, it's nice to get a third-party opinion from someone who isn't influenced by the company ... it's an interesting, novel approach, and it's really taking off," he said.

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E-mail: jtwitchell@desnews.com