The first time I heard of DF, is when one of my friend who is obsessed with steampunk idea, trying to build a mechanical-gear-brass-made computer. He told me that there is someone who built a simulation of computer using DF. And I click the link to see what it is, and I just assumed DF is another sandbox game with poor I/O interface (it's pretty early version of DF, relatively incomplete). So I didn't give much thoughts about it back then.
After a long while, someday when I am playing minecraft, and another friend trying to build again a simulation computer in minecraft, also told me about the DF computer, so I am again intriguing with what DF is, and this time I tried to read about what's so special about DF. Then I suddenly realized that it's not only a sandbox game, but also an agent-based simulation, which the NPC's are giving enough autonomous to behave at their own wills. And THAT makes me interested in what DF is capable of, since I've been studying the experimental economics, which using agent-based computational economics simulation model (ACE) as a mean to understand what economic world is made of and how can it can be evolved.
Although DF is not the first game trying to emulate economic activities, but as DF building things from ground up instead of simulating with high level activities. This makes DF unique and an interesting platform to see whether there will be some different economic behaviors happening in a completely fictional background world. (in the future I hope, with a much more complete market system)