Rookies Update - Activity Streams, New Contest and Learning Playbooks

Rookies Update - Activity Streams, New Contest and Learning Playbooks

Now that everyone can breathe a little bit after another massive Rookie Awards, I thought it would be a good idea to update you on a few things. We have released a few new tools on the website, have an awesome new contest about to drop, and also some free learning playbooks for beginners on its way.

Now that everyone can breathe a little bit after another massive Rookie Awards, I thought it would be a good idea to update you on a few things. We have released a few new tools on the website, have an awesome new contest about to drop, and some free Learning Playbooks for beginners on its way.


Activity Stream - See what's been happening

With so much stuff getting added to the site, people high-fiving and new contest entries being added, it's always hard to really know what your friends have been up to.

To help solve this, we have upgraded the notifications system and created a dedicated Activity Stream page. To access the page, simply click on the bell icon located beside your avatar in the header, or go here (you must be logged in).


Get active and start Following members

We have released a new version of our social functions on the website. This means you can once again Follow members, be followed and view your High Fived projects and entries.

To access the new pages, there is a new dropdown menu located on your profile navbar.

The cool thing about this is that you can now view ALL the projects and entries that you have High-Fived. You can now treat this like your own bookmarking system, saving all the best artwork for inspiration to access later.


Knight Spider Animation Challenge Starting Soon

We are so pumped about this new contest and will be launching it later this month. This one is for everyone interested in pushing their animation skills a bit further. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Free professional Maya rig for everyone to download
  • The contest will be split into Beginner and Advanced sections to make sure everyone has a fair chance.
  • Judges will be providing weekly feedback on our Twitch Channel.
  • Prizes will include everything from professional animation training, industry level mentoring sessions, merch and software licenses.
Enter the contest and you will get to play with this dude.

Set Member Level Dates

Everyone starts their creative journey at different stages. At The Rookies, we split this into four steps: Debut, Player, Contender, Rookie. You can read more about them here.

The thing is, not everyone joins The Rookies at the beginning of their journey. Some start at Contender level which is already quite far through. Previously when this happened, a "N/A" would appear on your timeline.

We added a quick update to your Profile Settings page that will now allow you to add a specific date.


Learning Playbooks in Development

We constantly get asked about how to start learning the right skills for creative industries like games, animation, visual effects and design. We figured it was about time we created something that everyone could access, so we have been building a course for Debut members.

It is not our intention to become a school, but we do want to help as many people get excited about creative industries.

This isn't a course on how to push buttons and follow tutorials. In this course you will learn everything you need to know to get started on the right path to a career in creative media and entertainment.

You will work alongside other artists on the same journey and be challenged to push your creative skills to the next level with access to recommended training and resources. The course will be self-paced and will guarantee success if you put in the hard work and help each other along the way.

These are the learning outcomes for the playbooks:

  • Decide if creative media is right for you? Figure out if you have what it takes to work in creative industries before you spend any money.
  • Increased confidence. This course will challenge you to push your creative and technical skills beyond what you thought was possible.
  • Build a portfolio ready to impress. Build a perfect art school portfolio with advice from professionals and school administrators.
  • Master fundamental creative skills. Learn the fundamental creative skills that will set you up for future success in creative entertainment jobs.
  • Get connected with Industry. Grow your network by connecting and learning from industry experts working at the top studios in the world.
  • Selected a career that suits your skills. Understand all the different career paths and jobs that suit your skills and interests