How not be a game dev beginner?

Well for now I'm already have been making games 4 years from now , Lately I joined "indie game developers" group on FB and then I was complained to the admin that I was still a beginner and I most be in the beginner group. My question is , when is someone is not considered a beginner in game development ? Because If someone will be making games forever and he is still called a beginner... well.... this is a problem.

For your FB group, why not ask the admin what their criteria are? Generally a beginner is someone just starting out at something and an expert is someone who has an authoritative knowledge on the subject. So, for game making, that could depend on whether or not you had made any successful games. If you make enough money to be able to live off of your profits then you could also consider yourself a professional rather than an amateur... Using those definitions, I am an beginner amateur at game making.... How much time you have spent doing something does not determine whether you are to be considered a novice or not; a rise above novice status will only be achieved through game-making success. IMO.

Naji - You are 15 years old and have made a handful of not very complicated web-games, while some indie developers have had years of experience at major game studios working on big titles before going indie and releasing several complicated games themselves, so to them you are a beginner.

Personally, I've worked for over 5 years with an indie studio, with one major release on Steam (100k+ copies sold) and another game in Early Access and I still sometimes consider myself a beginner.

So, give it a few more years and have at least one major release (maybe something on Steam) before you worry about whether people consider you a beginner or not.

For now, don't worry what people call you, just focus on making games, learning new skills and improving the quality of your games to a commercial standard.

I assume it is determined on the basis of your skills as well on your experience with larger projects.

I've only been making games since 2012 and since then I've made the Forbes list, the top 80 IGF list in 2013, and many many more. I've even been asked to speak at PAX Prime next month in a panel with Vlambeer. So... Idk. I don't think it's necessarily how many years you've been doing it.

I've been working in game development for almsot 15 years in one way or another mostly as Artist/Designer, even worked on big titles like Battlefield: Bad Company during my time at Dice, but for being an indie game developer I'm still a beginner. Currently working on my frist game which I made from scratch in construct 2.

I guess it's partly a matter of skill, experience and success. I wouldn't expect to call myself a proper indie game developer until I had some success to be able to live from the profits. Even then..... A hobbyist could also have a success with a game made in the spare time, but that doesn't automaticly make him/her a proper indie developer unless he intend to continue on the path of creating games.

Another way of earning the title would probably be if you're already a known name in the industry and have been working with other studios in a leading role, then setting up your own studio, or get a job at a known studio.

Last but not least. There are some highly skilled people with some experience that can call them self indie developers even before releasing any game (But usually well in to production). Those people know how to market themselves, and can present a polished product, and already has tons of followers even before releasing the game. Those people created a hype around their product even before it was done.

Anyway ... Keep going at it. I think your best bet to becoming a "recognised" indie developer is either by showing up sales numbers, so keep working on it.

Learn, improve, and work hard, this is the recipe.

If you have free time, watch this video:

I don't worry about being a beginner. I just do what I am able to do at the moment.

We will always learn from experience & improve gradually.

I say, just dont make a clone of a popular game..I see a lot of them making versions of flappy bird..whats the point, unless there is an aesthetic of their own in it.

I'd say to stop worrying about being considered as a beginner by a FB groups without knowing the general distinction they make, as this "beginner" vs "expert" thingy lose its sense quickly (I would say your games can be improuved a lot, graphically and also gameplay wise, even though there are good bases you can go with a bigger things if you want with maybe more organisation(?), I don't think you are not able to do greater games at least)

As colludium said, ask for the general criterias to know what to improve, or even if it is worth being in said groups (if it is only the amount of money made (which could be a possibility), it is not a direct reflect of quality but more like how much can people squeeze out of markets (I won't make the link to the "book about making money with flippa joke" but you get the idea). If it is about something more meaningful then, yes, it can be worth it to learn that and have a different opinion).

Learn more knowledge, improve skills, when you had a lot of knowledge and high skills to handle any hard job.

make games.. let them speak for you..