I think I first became interested in this just after Meakashi-hen came out in Comiket 67 (winter 2004). The game was already pretty popular back then, with coverages in magazines and game news sites. I began to see Higurashi related talks/arts on some of the personal doujin artist sites I visit as well, which got my interest. I went to the official site, downloaded the demo, and here I am now.