How old were you when you first played Shenmue?

[Supa]

I believe I was 12 when I first played. My dad had just brought home a Dreamcast (this was 2002), and my mom and dad later brought back a few games for it from the local flea market, and one of them was Shenmue. I had never heard of it...they opened up a whole new world for me.

[Mitsuzuki]

We're probably about the same.

You shouting at kids to get off your lawn yet?

I don't have a lawn.

Me neither, I'm just using it as an expression.

I can't wait to get to this point:

[chris1986]

I must have been 16 since I got it on the DC when it first came out in the UK.

[Ryo911]

I was 11 when I first played Shenmue in 2001. Dreamcast consoles were already going cheap and my mums boyfriend bought me one from a local advert found in Bargain Pages (UK weekly classified ads paper) it came with quite a few games and Shenmue just happened to be one of them. Luckily as soon as I completed the first game Shenmue 2 was released about a week later and I begged my parents for it haha.

[ass_koenig]

in the year 2001, when I played shenmue for the first time in albania, I was 15. After that I had sold my Dreamcast. I do not know why .
shenmue 2 I bought in 2010 along with a Dreamcast because I wanted to finish the game. this break between
2001 till sale of my Dreamcast, I played shenmue 1 347 times . Since 2010 I play regularly with both of them.
Although I have a PS4, my desire is very very big after shenmue 3. I will be soon 28 and I think I'm going till 40 to gamble with shenmue
when I started with shenmue, I could not speak English, just a lil' bit. It has helped me a lot. Suddenly I could understand everything

sorry for my english

[myshtuff]

I found it at blockbuster when I was probably 11-12. Played it and kind of liked it. I then returned it. After a while I wanted to play it again so I bought it and beat it again and was hooked.

[GrimMeNaCe]

I played it back in 2001, when the Dreamcast was still alive but on its last legs. I was 15 back then in grade 10. I actually picked up the game from the Flea Market not knowing what it was about and I ended up loving it!

[ThEoRy]

Played it on release day. I had just turned 22 about 3 months prior.

[Irryco]

It must have been 2002-2003 so I was around 14 years old. I began with Shenmue II on Xbox. Later I bought a Dreamcast just for Shenmue I in 2004. Getting the Dreamcast to play Shenmue I was a very big moment.

[Esppiral]

1999 so I was... 16... oh man I am old.

[AncientAardvark]

Got it just after it came out in 2000 in the US...I was 15.

[Yamagashi-San]

I think I first played it when I was as young as about 8. Maybe even younger. I remember spending so long looking for Yamagashi-San. That's my only memory of the game, but I completed it and went onto Shenmue II. However, I didn't complete Shenmue II, I believe my Dreamcast broke or something before I could. I eventually went back to Shenmue II to complete it when I was about 13 I think.
I can't remember ever not loving it.

[Shibainu]

Simple question: At what age did you first play Shenmue? Could be interesting to see if there are patterns or groups.
The age can be a big factor of how much of an impact the game has on someone. Of course also when. During the Dreamcast days the game was obviously even more impressive then it is today.

I was 15 when I first played Shenmue, shortly after it came out in Europe. Luckily I was good enough with English back then so I had no trouble understanding what's going on. It took a while until I was fully emerged into the game but then it got me, and it REALLY got me.

I was 20.

[redline]

14

[mrslig100]

14, nullDC Pentium 4 machine baby!
(14 I was wrong!) not 15