Go for it! Its a great hobby. I started the same way and now I have almost 40. Pick your first title carefully, make sure its a good game. A boring game is no fun and would be disappointing after you invest your time. EMs are a good start, theres lots of info on the web. I taught myself the same way after buying a game and having to depend on repair guys to fix stuff, which became costly and stupidly embarrassing after a few calls. Now I enjoy fixing them almost more than playing.........
Rob