Story By: James Stafford
MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Aryn Mosley, Montevallo Esports’ new head coach, wears a lot of hats: Veteran, family man, student, and now leader. Now as he levels up into his newest role, Mosley says he hopes all of these experiences will help him lead UM’s esports team into the future.
Military man
Mosley began his career devoting himself to the U.S. Army, serving for over three years. He looks back at these years fondly, as the experience molded him into the person he is today. “It’s opened every door that I’ve wanted to open,” Mosley said.
Unfortunately, Mosley’s time in the U.S. Army was cut short after sustaining an injury, leading to his honorable discharge in 2016. However, he hopes to implement what he learned during his service into the esports program, specifically resilience. “If you can’t bounce back from something that matters, then it can lead to very negative feelings,” Mosley said when talking about the team.
Family man
During his time in the Army, Mosley began dating his now wife and life partner, Megan. After marrying in June 2014, they started a family. The couple now has two daughters: 10-year-old Aria and 7-year-old Nova. “I don’t do anything in life without them,” Mosley said. “They’ve been the driving force of everything I’ve ever done. I live and breathe my two little girls and my wife.”
Being avid gamers themselves, Aria and Nova were excited to hear the news of Mosley’s new job. “They told me if I could teach them how to play video games, I can be there helping other people learn games,” Mosley said.
“They’ve been the driving force of everything I’ve ever done. I live and breathe my two little girls and my wife.”
Aryn Mosley
Similarly to his military background, Mosley hopes to use his experiences as a husband and father to benefit the esports team. “As a husband, I talk with my wife over everything so communication helps throughout life,” Mosley said. “Also, I’m a mentor already for my little girls, so it’s really easy for me to understand how I can mentor others.”
Montevallo coach… and classmate
Mosley is not new to the University of Montevallo. After getting his bachelor’s in history from UM in 2019, Mosley is back in the classroom earning a second bachelor’s degree in computer science with a minor in game design and cybersecurity.
As he takes his classes here at UM, Mosley often finds himself in the same courses as the players he now coaches. While others may feel weird when put in this situation, Mosley sees this as an opportunity to connect with the team as he does assignments along with his players. “It makes me feel more personable,” Mosley says, “like I’m actually one of them.”
A new experience
Playing video games since he was 3 years old, it would be an understatement to say they’ve impacted his life heavily. Since 1994, Mosley has been an avid gamer. It’s a passion he’s passed on to his own kids.
Eventually, he would be exposed to the world of competitive video gaming, also known as esports. Although he hadn’t been on a professional esports team before, he was instantly intrigued, even witnessing the development of Montevallo esports by now assistant coach and social work professor Dr. Brendan Beal back in 2019.
Looking forward, Mosley has big plans for Montevallo’s esports program. His primary focus is expansion including more members and players, a bigger space, and more titles.
Another big goal Mosley wants to focus on is the introduction of mobile games. Competitive mobile gaming has seen a major rise recently, with games such as Supercell’s “Clash Royale” and “Brawl Stars” gaining increasing popularity every year, as well as multiplayer online battle arenas or “MOBAs” such as “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” and “Arena of Valor” hosting events with viewership peaking in the millions. Mosley hopes to capitalize on this newfound hype by integrating these games into the program.
Chess was another avenue Mosley is interested in. Online chess exploded during the pandemic, primarily due to Netflix’s show, “The Queen’s Gambit.” Chess app downloads increased by 63% across app stores after the debut, according to Chess.com. With all this attention on the game, implementing the title into esports could create an interesting collaboration between gamers and brainiacs, according to Mosely.
If you want to watch Montevallo esports under Mosley’s leadership, you can view live and previous matches on their official Twitch channel.
In the past, esports has been seen as a sideline project within athletics. Being online rather than physical, it’s had an identity issue when contending with established sports. Mosley has lots of ambition for his team, however, as he stated, “I want us to be seen as a real thing, as a real sport.”
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