My computer geek phase started at when I was 8 and found out about video games. More than playing the games themselves, the technology behind them piqued my interest.
I got my first home computer when I was 9 (a Timex/Sinclair 1000). I wrote a simple graphical user interface on my IBM PCjr when I was 11, about the same time I started participating in local BBSs (it's easy for a literate 12 year old to pass as a 25 year old who's "between jobs"). I was experimenting with computer graphics and music in the late 1980s with my state-of-the-art Atari ST and Commodore Amiga. I did science projects in high school with my PC clone.
I thought I was so special. Then I started college and realized there were plenty more geeks like me and smarter than me. I got two degrees in computer science and work with computers every day. It's still interesting, but now it's work.
These days, I have come full circle, and pretty much just play video games on my computer.
Three video game sites of mine:
Classic Home Video Games Museum
Building Arcade Controls for my PC
Modifying an Arcade Cabinet for my PC