<Not an old hippy... but here because of one>
I grew up with this game. I'm not kidding, this was the first (of too many) games I ever remember playing. My dad played once in a while, and one day I asked if I could try it. He went and found some white baddies, and told me which numbers to hit as I sat in his lap (I was about 3 years old). I died. Still, it's one of my most powerful memories to date.
I kept bugging him, and when I was 6, I had a little computer in my mom and dad's office (they worked at home) to play with. My dad allowed me to use my mother's account (she wasn't terrifically fond of the game, but enjoyed playing Defender a lot) if I asked. It wasn't until I was eight until I could play at my own free will.
Side note: I was level 12, and over 2 levels in debt. I was not very smart ingame, and once or twice I actually told some people that I was 8 years old. (I've learned my lesson since, but people were surprisingly nice about it).
By the time I was 10, I was obsessed. I constantly annoyed my dad about the game until he got me to shut up for a short while by giving me Half-Life and his steam account.
Another mistake on his part. Not only did I grow just as obsessed with that franchise, I lost interest in CoH. It wasn't until I heard it was going to be shut down that I started playing again, and I actually got my character from 24 to 38 (one of my regrets is never getting to 50).
I'm not able to, but my dad has been in the game since the beta (he actually has Prima's guide, holding it right now), and has thrown money at Missing Worlds, and does everything I wish I could do to help the game come back. He may not know it, but he's the reason I'm such a nerd.
(My dad's cooler than yours.)