I used to pirate because when I started gaming, I was poor.
I could afford a game or two, but I was smart enough to know getting a modded ps2 would mean that my money would go much much further and thereby maximize my gaming experience. My gaming budget was the same, but I wanted my money to go to hardware.
Now I’m an adult, work as a software dev and the price isn’t a problem. But now I pirate because as a dev I know, all the hard workers are paid salary/hourly before the game releases, and if it’s a AAA game, all the money goes to investors.
Solution? Being a patient gamer and paying for indie games here and there :D
hi gamer it sounds like you are stuck plateau'd because you are playing on "I'm too young to die" / "normal" mode
you really only unlock true gamer mode once you add the following win conditions: pay solo & indie developers that you follow on Fedi directly or on their best platform; participate in retroachievements so as to directly flaunt your participation in alternative gaming economies; foster a sharing economy among your friends where you hook each other up with copies of stuff you have recently enjoyed on a regular basis.
if you can enjoy normal, you can enjoy true gamer mode. but if your goal is to beat Nightmare gaming mode at some point you have to improve your tech and strats