A mainstay in the computer gaming industry for more than a decade, Alienware - the leading manufacturer of high-performance notebook, desktop and entertainment systems - has partnered with PMS Clan in the company's first-ever sponsorship of a competitive gaming team.

AUSTIN, Texas, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Visitors to the ScreenBurn independent film festival here this weekend can test their online gaming skills against some of the world's top female online gamers at the Verizon FiOS booth in the ScreenBurn Arcade.

In recent years, women have been all but absent from the billion-dollar gaming industry. But that's changing, thanks to a core female gamers who are increasing women's visibility and influence.

IT'S a little after 2am. Karen Morrison is exhausted, but determined to press on. The hairpin bend in the snow-dusted mountain road is looming. She is not far from the finish line. Ignoring the throbbing in her fingers, Morrison presses down hard on the control pad of her Xbox.