Shenmue Dojo

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 16. started with shenmue 2 when it immediately came out in europe and few months later got shenmue 1 as well. somehow one day I woke up and wanted to get shenmue 2, despite never playing or having shown much interest to the original shenmue when it was released. I can assure you my age 15-17 changed my gaming taste completely

When it was released in Japan. Dec98, right?

Then I was 14.

december 99 in japan

Then 15.

One of my friend had (and he still have) a Japanese Dreamcast. He ordered Shenmue in japanese. We didn't understood a s**t but it was amazing. I think I still have an VHS at my fathers's house of the final part of the game. My friend recorded it because I was not playing with him at the end of the game and I was going to lose all of it.

I was 12-13 years old. Saw it the first in an old friend's house. I, we, were completely engrossed by it; watch it and some rare times play it, for 8 hours straight, in the first time. Then somehow I end up with a Dreamcast and one of the first games to run behind and get it was of course Shenmue I.

When I completed it, then I run behind for Shenmue II. When I completed and that, I run behind for Shenmue 3 ...but learned from an old friend that SEGA discontinued the Dreamcast and it will never made another console again. I was like "Oh, so Shenmue III will not get made..." Always mentioning Shenmue as my most favourite game of all time. However, only lately I engaged with campaigning acts to... #SaveShenmue.

Damn, I hadn't even thought about this. I was twelve when I picked up the Japanese edition and used Sega Dojo as a source for the translation. I keep telling myself kids are too young in their early teens to understand or enjoy the series, though it's just a different era with different general taste I suppose. The only difference at this point is the series was groundbreaking then, now it's aged.

That is like 4 years ago when I was thirteen. My English was not good enough back then but this game taught me so much. That is another reason why I love this master piece.

I was 13. I was obsessed with the game before it came out. I saw it in a magazine and couldn't wait until it was released.

I believe 14 or 15. Some time in 2007. Got to it late, had it on dreamcast for a while, but never played it until later.

19, almost 20

15. Saw the owner of a local shop playing it when I went in there and he directed me to Gexpress and I bought the Japanese LE from them. But wasn't until a few months later I found a guide online and made it off the first disc lol.

Also the US LE was the first game I ever preordered, from Funcoland. They bought out the shop where the guy helped me get the Japanese version. That was a LONG time ago.

Looking at the posts so far, a pattern is already starting to shape. Except for Radar everyone so far is in a rather close together group of 12-16 years old. I'd say that's a good age to get sucked into a game. At that age it's easy to get attached to something as your still growing up and learn, thus are "shapeable". But you can already understand and appreciate what's going on well enough. Well, I guess...