I had always RP'd, because I came from a small town and it was something to do on weekends when there was lots of snow on the ground.
I got into Mini's when I went to the Platoon Leaders Course in the Corps. They used a sand table to simulate small unit actions. Cheaper than expending lots of ammos and you could get a eye for tactics.
On the weekends, we'd goof around by going head to head with the very basic rules they used. After that, I found various mini games to try out.
Finally got in to 40K cause it was easy to find opponents. Then Warmachine came out and I haven't played a game of 40K since. Now I'm stoked to try my tactical skills in SST.
I've continued to game because it's challenging, it allows me hang out with like minded folks and it distracts me from the day to day grind.