I’ve moved from Russia, where torrents are pretty popular and only recently were mitigated by Steam, to a Nordic country. I don’t intend on breaking the law, because my residence is temporary and I have funds to buy games, but I wonder if any of these things found in Russia or other Eastern European countries are accepted by people in the Nordics:
- Local torrent trackers and torrenting in general
- “Unofficial” streaming services
- Fan translations
- Renting and exchanging games
- Account sharing
- Selling and installing hardware hacks (e.g. Nintendo Switch homebrew chips)
…so I don’t meet confused glances when I mention these Russian “customs” when chatting with locals. Mentioning specific services is not required, of course, I’m just trying to read the atmosphere.
This post is fascinating, I never really considered the cultural acceptability of piracy in different countries. Where I am, it is ubiquitous just like the Russian situation. The idea that people are so uptight about it in some places strikes me as so silly.
But I don’t think anywhere else can match the piracy culture of Russia and the lengths to which you go. In fact, on my own seafaring expeditions I trust Russian sources more than anything else. You guys should get some kind of award for rutracker alone. So on behalf of pirates everywhere, thank you!