So, I got rejected from the new Original Content Creator Program tonight. And yeah, it's a bit of a kick in the stomach. For anyone new here, I started this whole Indie Game Joe journey back in March. And what a ride it's been since then! The growth has honestly been unbelievable. In just a few months this has gone from me posting games on my own to a community of over 80,000 of you on X. Along the way I've shared hundreds of indie games, written in-depth articles on how to market your game, posted marketing threads and tips whenever I've had something useful to say, and I've been pretty open about the not-so-glamorous side too, my vulnerabilities, my doubts, the things most people keep offline, because I think that helps people. I don't hide behind an avatar, I let you all into my life, and I try to help indie devs at the same time. That's what my account is about, that's Indie Game Joe - I really want this to be the "place" on X for indie devs, I want to advocate for you guys and help as much as I can. So to be told, essentially, that what I do isn't original content with meaningful input... that one hurt haha Many of you know what I do when I post indie games. It takes me hours to find these games. I dig through them, work out what makes each one special, write every word of the copy myself, and re-cut the trailer so it leads with the best moment. I don't copy and paste and then just walk away. I really cannot overstate how much time and effort goes into each post. And it works! So many of you have told me since March that you found games you love because of this account, and I've been able to help a heck of a lot of indie devs along the way. That's the part that means the most to me. And it isn't just indie devs who've noticed. Geoff Keighley followed me and messaged to say he loves the content. Cliff Bleszinski, the man who created Gears of War, said I'm his new favourite account to follow. The official X Gaming account has reposted my posts, and so has Hideo Kojima himself. Like, I still can't quite believe that last one lol But, the point is, it feels like I've been told "you don't bring value here". And I've tried so hard to be the opposite of that. I don't think I've missed a single day of sharing games and talking with you guys since I started. Now, I do get that someone could say "but you're posting other people's games". And yes, I am. But X's own guidelines say commentary that adds your own perspective, expertise and context counts as original. And that's exactly what I feel I do, you know? I use everything I've learnt as a video game marketer and releasing my own games to present these games in the best possible light, in my own words, and that takes, again... hours. (I've also written some pretty personal long-form pieces (videos too) on here that only I could have written, and I'd like to think those count too.) One other thing I'll mention, because it's been frustrating too. A handful of my posts have been auto-flagged as "sensitive content", and it's literally horror games, or games with hardly any gore in them at all. In fairness, X Premium support have been great about it and they've removed the filter on posts before. But it's not something I can control, it's a few posts out of hundreds, and if that played any part in the decision, it'd be a real shame, because they're indie horror games. To be clear here as well, this isn't about the money. Most of you know I make my living making games with my friends, and I'm fortunate enough not to rely on other sources of income. But... the X revenue was still helpful, because it let me give back. When I paid to replace that dev's stolen hardware at gamescom, that came straight out of what X paid me. I've used the payouts to help so many devs - including replacing someone's broken Steam Deck. So yeah, it sucks that I can't do things like that as much anymore (I still want to keep doing that, but you get what I'm saying). And I feel like I've been one of the loudest voices telling indie devs to get on X and share their games, because I do think it's still the best platform for an indie game to get discovered. I still believe that. This doesn't change it. Something else I was thinking about on my walk earlier. I know many of you rely on X as your main income, and I always say don't put all your eggs in one basket, but I do get the upset and frustration so many of you are feeling right now. So I want to remind you of something. No platform and no algorithm gets to tell you what your worth is. And what I mean by that is, yes, there are pure slop accounts out there, I get that. But if you're trying hard and posting good stuff and you still got rejected? Maybe there are things you can improve. Maybe it makes you think differently about what you make/post. And by the time you reapply, you might have learned loads and start producing even better content! So keep posting good stuff and I really do think you'll be fine :) Anyway. I've appealed, and I'd really appreciate all your support on this one. Not sure if it'll help in any way, but I'd be very grateful! I also hope what I do has and does bring value to many of you, I genuinely do. Thanks for reading if you got this far Best, Joe @XCreators