When were you introduced to

[MGibster]

And just for you youngsters, Star Wars wasn't released on home video until 1982. So when I was watching Star Wars on the VCR in 1980 it was a bootleg copy.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Earlier I said that I didn't know what Earthsea was, but looking it up, I probably read some of them in the 80's and just haven't thought of them since then. When I was a kid, my mother kept her vast book collection in my bedroom, and I read a LOT of it. Ursula K. Le Guin was definitely on the shelves, along with Asimov, Barbara Hambly, Steven Brust, and various others. Tolkien, obviously. I used to be able to write fluently in his Dwarvish runes (as seen on the Hobbit) AND in his Goblin script (which was in the Father Christmas Tales).

 

[Ryujin]

And just for you youngsters, Star Wars wasn't released on home video until 1982. So when I was watching Star Wars on the VCR in 1980 it was a bootleg copy.

That's how I rewatched "The Empire Strikes Back" a couple of days before "Return of the Jedi" hit theatres. It was in the video store of a friend's father, that he managed for him. They didn't have that store for long.

 

[Mad_Jack]

Buying the first four issues in a special pack at Zaryes(it was like K-Mart, but worse).

We had a Zayre Dept. Store near us in the early '80's... It was the store I was in when I got caught shoplifting in junior high.
It had a hideous brown-and-orange color scheme with beige walls. I used to get all my G.I. Joe and Transformers toys there.
(I had no idea until I looked them up just now that the Zayre company also spawned TJ Maxx and BJ's Wholesale Club...)


A few things that have been brought up since my post -

Conan - I would have seen it as soon as it hit VHS in 1984.
(On a side note, the first local video store opened about a mile and a half from my house sometime in '82-'83, I think, so I had plowed through pretty much every single PG-to-R-rated sci-fi, fantasy, and horror movie from the '60's through the '80's that had been released on VHS by the time I finished junior high in '86 - refer to my "free-range parenting" comment in my first post, lol.)

LotR - I found a set of the paperback editions at a yard sale for 50 cents apiece right around '84 or so (just starting junior high)... (Cool Story, Bro: The guy holding the yard sale invited my father and I down into his basement - where he had signed 1st editions of The Hobbit and LotR... )

The Black Company by Glen Cook - I believe I first discovered the series in high school. The first three books had already been out for a couple years when I found them in Waldenbooks, and the fourth book came out less than a year after I'd finished reading the first three.

Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson - Started reading these when the first one was published.

Honor Harrington series by David Weber - Been reading these more or less since the beginning, but fell off by the 8th or 9th book when the universe started expanding beyond the main story line into prequels and anthologies.

Jack Reacher series by Lee Child and The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher - started reading both of these somewhere around 2010 or so, picking them up as I haphazardly found them available at the local used bookstores and Goodwill.

 

[trappedslider]

Never realized how old some of you are

 

[bloodtide]

And just for you youngsters, Star Wars wasn't released on home video until 1982. So when I was watching Star Wars on the VCR in 1980 it was a bootleg copy.

Back in the '80s our nearest store was "Als". Als Feed Store, Gun Shop, Used Car, Beer Bait, BBQ, Barber Shop, Tractor Parts, 8-Tracks, Trampolines, Tux Rental, Groceries, Video, Post Office, Taxidermy, Laundromat........

Als was one of those places that was like, er, five car garages and sheds built near each other and connected by walkways(sort of). And the video store part, had lots of black plastic boxes with VCR tapes with white stickers where someone wrote "The Star War" or "The Indy Jones" or "Ape Planet" or "The Alien Movie"or something like that and you could rent them. Of course they were all bootleg copies of copies, not that anyone cared all that much in them days.

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit- So at summer camp in the early 80's we had movie nights at the pavilion. They only had like five movies: Bed knobs and Broomsticks, Pete's Dragon, The Wizard of Oz, The Cat from Outer Space.....and the cartoon The Hobbit. So, of course, they just showed them over and over and over again. Once I knew "The Hobbit" was a book, it was an easy find for ten cents at the flea market, and the LotR was soon to follow.

Anime- RoboTech, Channel 67 showed RoboTech, the first time I saw anything "close" to anime. But transforming mecha check, and the "cartoons made more for teens" check. And right at the same time, was Voltron too. And if you count Ninja Turtles as anime too.

Japanese Animation- Star Blazers. Channel 67 showed this one in the morning, so I watched it before school. Even as a kid, I sure noticed that this show had way different animation then other shows. Then it was not too much longer after that when I saw G-Force. On Channel 67 afternoons.

Japanese Sci Fi- Ultraman(I have no idea what one) but again, Channel 67 played them. The show sure was unique.

 

[pukunui]

D&D
Star Wars
Earth sea
H.Potter
Magic The Gathering
Marvel/ D.C

D&D - Some of my classmates got me to join their AD&D 2e game in 7th grade (when I was 12 or 13) circa 1993. With a short break around the time I moved countries at the beginning of the century, I've been playing D&D ever since.

Star Wars - Sometime in the 80s. I was born in 1981, so I was too young to see any of the OT in the theater, but I got to see them plenty on VHS. The Phantom Menace was my first experience getting to see a new SW film in the theater - and what a letdown that was! Nevertheless, SW is probably my favorite geeky thing outside of D&D. I'm really loving The Bad Batch and am very much looking forward to S3 of The Mandalorian.

Earthsea - I know it's a series of fantasy books but that's about it.

Harry Potter - I deliberately avoided the HP books in the 90s. Didn't read the books or watch the movies until my children wanted to in the past decade or so. I've been less than enthusiastic about HP-related stuff of late.

Magic the Gathering - I know what it is, and while I have bought all three MtG D&D crossover books, I have never played the card game and have no desire to do so.

Marvel / DC - I read the odd comic / watched the odd movie (e.g. the Tobey Maguire Spiderman movies and the older X-Men movies) as a youngster, but I didn't "get into" the MCU until we subscribed to Disney+. I think the only recent DC movie I've seen is Shazam!

Other big-name geek stuff that I may have left out.

Star Trek - I got into ST around the same time as D&D if not a little earlier. I got hooked in with TNG. Watched DS9 and Voyager but haven't watched any ST TV series since TNG ended. (Tried watching the original series but found it too comically dated for my tastes so gave up partway through.) I have watched all the movies, though. As much as I like ST, I think I prefer SW these days.

Middle Earth - I would have been introduced to the books as a child in the 80s. I remember liking the old Hobbit and Lord of the Rings cartoons. I read the Silmarillion a long time ago. I enjoyed Peter Jackson's films, including the Hobbit trilogy. I haven't watched the recent show (and am not sure I want to given the reviews).

Game of Thrones - A friend got me into watching the show after S1 had finished but before S2 had started. Watched through to the disappointing ending. I mostly enjoyed S1 of House of the Dragon. I have not read any of the books and have no intention of doing so (since it's unlikely GRRM will ever finish the series).

Foundation - I love the original trilogy. The later books are rubbish. I have no intention of watching the show.

Dragon Age - I love, love, love the world of Thedas. I've played (and enjoyed) all three PC games and am optimistic about the upcoming fourth one. I've also watched the Netflix cartoon series and enjoyed that. I haven't read any of the novels. I own the original three TTRPG box sets but haven't gotten to play the game ever.

Video Games - I started gaming with an original NES back in the 80s. I currently have an old N64 and a second-hand Wii. Haven't moved on to the Switch and don't really want to as the few times I've tried it, the games have been too flashy and visually overstimulating. Never got into any of the other consoles (e.g. Xbox, Playstation, etc), as I prefer playing on a PC. I also prefer single player over multiplayer.

 

[dragoner]

D&D
Star Wars
Earth sea
H.Potter
Magic The Gathering
Marvel/ D.C

D&D '79
Star Wars '78?
Earth Sea, such as the novels by Ursula K Le Guin? I don't know, my first intro to her was the pbs movie "The Lathe of Heaven"
H.Potter not until my kids.
MtG soon after it was out, never played it much though.
Marvel/DC Weird War Tales was my favorite.

 

[Blue]

D&D - 1980 or '81, at summer camp.

Star Wars - 1971, in the theater.

Earthsea - A Wizard of Earthsea was the very first fantasy book I read. I read a lot of SF, but this was loaned to me at camp by DH, whom I met back up again with at Jr. High. Was likely the year (or two) before D&D, but I can't remember more precisely.

Wheel of Time - picked up The Eye of the World with a voucher I got for doing some experiment at my university bookstore. Want to say 1990, could have been 1991. It was softcover, I think the hardcover came later when it sold well.

Magic: The Gathering - I missed Beta, but several of my friends who got into it not too far before me didn't, so I think 1993 or 1994.

Marvel/DC - No idea. I read some comics, but collected none. I had friends who were big collectors and liked hearing them talk about it. My first consistent was likely Saturday morning cartoons and after school cartoon, but no idea when. Like, everyone knows Batman as part of the human shared consciousness, just like everyone half-knows the words to Bohemian Rhapsody even if you can't pinpoint where you've ever heard it before. Amusingly I've been into superhero RPGs, starting with Champions 2nd so that was likely 1982 since it wasn't right before 3rd ed, I had time on limited allowance to purchase several of the books.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

D&D
Star Wars
Earth sea
H.Potter
Magic The Gathering
Marvel/ D.C

D&D: 1999, pretty sure. Via CRPGs. I didn't actually get introduced to proper tabletop play until just after 3.5e came out.

Star Wars: Can't say for sure. Early in my life. My parents are both fans. Probably early 90s.

Earthsea: Never. I've heard about the books, never actually read them or even summaries of them. I'm better-read on Le Guin's other work (and even there I'm not that well-read: The Left Hand of Darkness is the only full book of hers I've read.)

Harry Potter: Whatever year the first book was published. My elementary school teacher at the time read it to us during daily reading time.

MtG: Properly speaking, never, as I have never truly played. However, someone did try to teach me the basics sometime between 2000 and 2002. I only know it from reading about it, which I've done a fair amount of, and briefly playing a simplified digital version against a friend who knew it way better than me and thus always beat me. (They had an incredibly annoying Green deck that spammed "Priest of Titania," I distinctly remember the voiceover calling out the card's name.)

Marvel/DC: Unsure about Marvel, probably mid to late 90s. DC was early 90s, I grew up watching Batman: the Animated Series.