At what age did you start gaming?

[Henry]

I picked up the Moldvay Basic set, and DM'ed my first time when I was 10 years old. I DM'ed almost every day with a friend from 1982 to 1985, until he moved away. I read gaming supplements and books without playing until about 1988, actually played a character my first time ever in 1988, and have had a steady gaming group almost ever since.

 

[Belen]

I can agree with the basic assumption. I started at 16 and never plan to stop. Gaming is a way of life for me.

 

[Wyn A'rienh]

I'm a female who started gaming at 24 (I'm now 26). I absolutely love it, and plan to introduce my three daughters to it when they are old enough.

 

[derelictjay]

I learn the basics of the game in middle school, somewhere in the 11-13 age range (can't remember when I really started). It didn't have much of an influence on me until about my sophmore year of high school, those intervening years were filled with Magic: the Gathering, and Battletech (of which Magic I gave up, and Battletech I kept for nostalgic reasons). Though I guess you could say they were gaming also, just not RPG-style gaming.

 

[Arnwyn]

I started "gaming", with homebrewed dungeons and an entire made-up rules system at the age of 12 (Grade 7) - before we even knew the existence of D&D.

I didn't start with actual D&D until I was 17, in my 1st year of university.

 

[Klaus]

12 years of age, in 1987, by way of the AD&D 1e Player's Handbook.

First Character: Bulldozer Crane, human paladin (Long live Dave C. Sutherland III and his "Paladin in Hell"!)
Rolling Method: 3d6, in order, cold turkey! (Lucky Charisma 17!)

Accessories used at the time: PHB, DMG, MM, Fiend Folio

 

[EricNoah]

11 years old in 1979.

 

[CSB046]

Got the Basic D&D set (red box) from my parents on my eighth birthday, which would have been the summer of 1982. I honestly can't remember if it was something I had seen and wanted, or if it was just something they picked out. I do remember I started dragging my friends into the game almost right away!

 

[qaaral]

I consider I started real gaming when I got A-H Gettysburg game in 1959. I played that sort of game until 1970-71 when I got into miniature gaming then into D&D in the late 70's. Mini's and D&D in various combs lasted until the late 80's when we pretty much dropped RPG's. Got back into it with 3.0 almost as soon as it was released. Mini's and board game have been continuous for the whole time with just a few fallow stretches.

So I started gaming at 14 and D&D about 25 or so.

 

[Turhan]

Well, I started gaming when I was 33. A friend from work got me started. He started playing in the late 70's with 1st edition. After 5-6 years I started DM'ing, and I now share the DM role with 2 of the 3 other guys in the group. (the wives long since drpped out and got involved in everything from bingo to planning their daughter's weddings).

As for myself, I've now been playing almost 15 years, and DnD is a main part of my entertainment world. It is bigger than movies or TV, and rivals my interest in reading (fantasy, SF, history, religion, architecture and engineering).

I would have to say that gaming is an integral part of my life.