Playing a fighting game in an non arcade setting is not fun:
1. You have no idea who you are playing. In an arcade you can gain a notoriety. I know of a certain lady who is a beast at Puzzle Fighter and commanded respect when people played her.
 2. Getting called cheap and or names is way more fun in person. It is fun to beat someone and then have them throw a hissey fit in front of you rather than rage quit online and then send you a personal message. 
 
TLDR: People online are asshats.

This is why I play with my friends locally. But we play in training mode with the lag turned on, to simulate playing online (not really). 

Anyone know any good arcades in the Seattle area? I haven't played a fighting game... ever (too young to be involved in the arcade scene of the 90's), but what with the influx of fighters recently, and having picked up SF4 on the App Store when it was on sale, I wanna go try some out. BTW, the iOS SF4 game is surprisingly fun and functional. From what I've heard about all the physical limitations of the touch screen in a very precision-heavy game, it's worked out well so far. Plus the music is sweeeeeeeet.

I don't like arcades at all, and I'm trying to figure out why.  Maybe it's because when I was 8 years old, some guy drugged me, took me into the bathroom, and proceeded to butt rape me while I was at an arcade.  But at least he gave me a whole roll of quarters afterward.

I used to enjoy going to arcades but I'm pretty happy sitting in front of my big ass TV on my nice comfy couch with a fight-stick.