Because it’s not dependent on team work!
I like competing against the guy sitting next to me instead of the critical hit rate. Maybe I’m just weird but I get a lot more satisfaction out of winning or losing when I know that either way it happened because one of us did better than the other and that was all there was to it.
So the FGC really is gay for each other.
Actually, it’s funny, because I myself have said that an actual fight with another man is about as close as straight man to straight man sex could be.
I mean an actual fight, not a a game fight, then again…hotel rooms for EVO…
On a more serious note. These three sentences from a quote in the thread caught my attention the most.
Blaze’s quote of gouki10: We play for perfection. We do not seek defeat in our opponent, but to be better than ourselves. Victory is not a goal, it is a result.
We play for respect. To prove our skills to our peers. To show the world what we have learned and impart that knowledge.
We play for brotherhood. Those we face are not enemies, they are kindred spirits. We may not have met, but we all know each other.
I… I can’t think of a single reason. Bye everyone, it’s been a slice!
It’s the only genre that interest me and that I’m good at, besides me being mediocre in wacky racers like CTR, Mario Kart, Sonic & SEGA: ASR
The replay value is virtually infinite with fighters.
I can go and learn a 10 year old game like CVS2 if I wanted to and I won’t be bored out of my mind after a hour. (so far I can only get 2 reps of paint before I spazz out 
)
mods please rename this thread “FGD Existential Crises and Free Verse Poetry”
Because there nothing else delivers that sheer sense of joy for me of dragon punching someones jump in REALLY deep. Snapping out a 360 when you KNEW they were too scared to move. That clutch 1 frame reversal super through their special that was going to chip you the out of the match. Taking it ALL THE WAY BACK when you were basically down and out but, made all the right moves to snatch victory from defeat. Why play fighting games? Why WOULDN’T you? 
p.s. Dead frog owned my post as I just read it hahahah!
I play for that moment. You all know what I’m talking about.
Because their no other experience like it.
Ah, yes.
The comebacks. And of course the best ones are high tension without any super/meter/whatever.
At that point it’s who is not only better, but who is better with the less options.
Survival.
Two reasons. First is because I’ve always had a fondness for the martial arts.
The other because it’s just 1 on 1. Your mind and actions against the other. The achievements and hardships are all up to you.
A life of competition is a life of self improvement.
And that hype…
I play fighting games because I love playing fighting games. It is one of the few game genres I really like overall.
I actually hate video games (recently realized that)…Whenever I play anything other than a fighting game, I fall asleep not even halfway through tutorial mode/pre-first level. I’m sorry but everything is just unplayable to me now. I guess I just hate games that require me to walk for more than five seconds in a game or i’m just so into fighting games that I just don’t give a shit about everything else. All those popular video game franchises; I never played nor understand any of their references leaving me under the rock while I don’t play them. sigh It’s totally worth it though.
I guess I play fighting games because every other genre is just so unplayable to me. The experience of them keep me playing them. >.>
Guess it’s the closest some people get to legally kicking someone’s ass that they don’t know.
I play fighting games the same reason why I play every other game.
I just wanna be better than you.
This is similar to me. I am tired of playing sports games and a popular FPS and needed a change. So I decided I want to try my hand at fighting games (SSF4:AE and VF5) and shmup’s (Deathsmiles, Raiden Fighter Aces, and several XBLA/Indie games).
Longevity and the fact that most other games/genres suck. Look at E3 this year… so many copy/paste shooting games that millions of Americans will pay $60 for, play for a week, then stop and buy another one. With fighting games I usually get tons of bang for my buck.
Look at BB for instance. $60 in 2009, $40 in 2010, $0-24 in 2011 because CS2 was free + DLC characters, and $40 in 2012. That’s not very much at all compared to the money I would spend if I wanted to keep up with other genres.
Well, several reasons. I play fighting games because I like the feel of competition. It feels more fun that FPS to me when I hit what Zidiane called that moment. When I’ve had a bad day and feel the need to punch something, I plug in a game and train my butt of in the training room until I feel calm…er. It’s a way for me to fight with people without the use of my fists since I just don’t like fighting IRL. I also love how insane the games are. It makes me feel happy, alive!
…On the negative side, without proper funds for travel and the wrong internet for online gaming, I’m stuck training by myself, so I can’t actually enjoy the competitive scene as much as I want to. I have to get lucky with time (thank god this site pointed to those weekly Granada Hills tourneys and for the Anime EXpo hosting tourneys) if I want to experience it… but it’s something, for now.