Competitive gaming, often referred to as electronic sports or “e-sports” for short, has grown quickly over the last three years with help from the website Twitch.TV. Twitch.TV is devoted to e-sports, and is comprised of streamed, community-based content. Any gamer can live stream gaming footage through Twitch.TV, and can then be watched by anyone around the world.

Competitive gaming is a popular part of video gaming culture, yet it’s often overlooked by the mainstream audience. Gaming tournaments are held locally and in the surrounding regions, like Tekkoshocon, which is held annually in downtown Pittsburgh. The popular PC game “StarCraft” has spawned events known as “Barcraft” events, some of which have been held in Pittsburgh. BarCraft events are held at local bars where fans meet to watch players compete in the “StarCraft” competitions.

I spoke to Twitch.TV heads Emmett Shear and Matthew DiPietro about their fast-growing company, PAX East, the future of consoles, and e-sports on the whole. This piece going to run in Wednesday's Edition of the Post-Gazette, but here's a sneak peak.

Emmett Shear, General Manager of Twitch.TV, claims that the site traffic has grown from three million unique monthly views to 16 million in a little more than the last year. Games like “StarCraft II,” “League of Legends” and “Call of Duty” are among the most popular games to watch on the site. Shear believes that the influx of interest will lead to streaming integration in the next generation of consoles.

When asked about the current state of gaming hardware and the future of streaming e-sports, Shear said, “The current Xbox 360 and Playstation3 platforms are being stretched to the limit. Developers are doing everything they can to squeeze out every last bit of performance. If you’re going to broadcast an Xbox game at high quality, you need a PC to do it. With the next generation [of console], there’s no question it will be possible [to live stream]. It’s going to be huge.”

In an announcement made this weekend at PAX East, a major Boston-based gaming expo, Shear and company announced that Twitch.TV’s next step is in the mobile market. Twitch.TV live streams will now be available on the iPad and Android-based devices, a feature that Shear says is “the number one most requested feature since we launched the site.” An iOS app for iPhone has already been a success for the company over the past year.

The app is free to download, but subscription based content will follow for larger pay-per-view events.

The Twitch.TV team sees a bright future for the e-sports movement with their website leading the charge. Matt DiPietro, Vice President of Marketing for Twitch.TV, sees an internet-only future for the company.

When asked about a possible venture into television, PiPierto said, “An important thing to remember is that television is losing viewers, while internet-based content is gaining viewers very fast. What the world looks like five years from now, nobody quite knows, but we will be there.”

If e-sports continue to grow at its current rate, expect to see greater exposure for competitive gaming events for the industry’s most popular games.