"Visiting the brothel for free" and other secret code words for pirated games in China
Years of flagrant piracy in China has contributed to a unique lingo based around the practice
With such a large base of users and enablers, China has developed its own lingo around digital piracy over the years. Here’s a look at some of the terms used.
Resources
The Study Zone
Yep, that’s where a lot of the pirated goodies were hidden. Why the Study Zone? A lot of the piracy websites often disguise themselves as forums for tech hobbyists to study new technologies. But it’s almost an open secret that the word “study” is often used to mean sharing unlicensed resources.
It’s not just games, though. Movies and TV shows often come with the disclaimer “this video is for study only.” This is especially true for popular Western shows and films. These videos might rack up tens of millions of views. That’s a lot of studying.
The Hard Drive Version/The Green Version
Remember how software used to mostly be sold in the form of physical media like CD-ROMs? The fact that disks were often required to run programs helped limit the spread of piracy to some extent.
Visiting the brothel for free
The phrase first gained traction among pop star fans who used it to describe fans who aren’t willing to pay for the concerts or merchandise that support their idols. But it’s also been increasingly used to refer to gamers who play pirated games.
The Legitimate-Version Warrior
Similar to how the term social justice warrior is perceived in the West, some Chinese netizens ridicule the legitimate-version warrior for insisting people only use legitimate versions of digital products. (You can imagine the bitterness of these exchanges between the two sides.)
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