The first day of the Miss Video Game 2007 competition wrapped up in grand style yesterday with two challenges at Festival Arcadia. Five finalists battled it out, with Miss Lauren Berggren taking the early lead in the quest for the global crown of Miss Video Game.

The first challenge of the day took place at the Flashback Zone where the finalists went head-to-head in the classic racing game Mario Kart 64. After a round-robin qualifying round, the finalists took part in a play-off format to determine the winner of the challenge.

Lauren (L337Lauren) Berggren raced her way to the top with a victory over Tiffany (liPStiCK) Greene. Third place went to Héléne (LadyLara) Bronnec while Adelle (Lanen) Moore took fourth spot. Rounding off the challenge was Yvonna (Coochie Dimes) Lynn.

After a mid-afternoon break - where the ladies interacted with festival goers by signing autographs, posing for pictures, and engaging in the odd game with patrons at the Titan Strike booth - the girls made their way to the Vidéotron booth.

Finalists competed in CounterStrike Source on PC where the girls challenged each other in a series of one-on-one matches. Once again, L337Lauren showcased her superior marksmanship by shooting her way to a victory over LadyLara.

With the double victory, the Louisiana native holds a three-point lead in the final standings going in to the second day of competition.

The five finalists will compete in two more challenges on Day 2 of Festival Arcadia - Guitar Hero and Brain Age II.

Miss Video Game was created to provide entertainment and camaraderie not only to girl gamers, but to any gamer that is interested in promoting women in the video game industry. "We have set out to create a supportive community where respect and shared passion for video games bind our members and create a fun environment to share opinions, goals and stories," say organisers.

For more information, visit missvideogame.com.