The iPhone is second only to the PC as a platform for gamers who love the oldschool classics. That was proven once again when 2K Games released Sid Meier’s Pirates! for the iPhone today for just $2.99 — a far cry from the full box price the PC re-release originally cost back in 2004.

I have a theory that a generation of now-30-something PC gamers have all largely moved on from gaming because of growing adult responsibilities such as career and family. But the truth is that at heart, these are the most hardcore gamers at all. They put up with some wild stuff back in the day.

Now many of them own iPhones, and even though they suspect they won’t have time to sink into something like Pirates!, they’re making enough money to spend the $2.99 anyway — just in case.

I have this theory because I’m one of them. It’s one of the reasons I started The Interactive — to help high-tech folks find ways to make their preferred digital entertainment media entertain them on their own time, in the way they want to experience it.

The iPhone is perfect for this. We’re on the go, we’re busy — but we still want those deep gaming experiences. If we can pause it at any moment and always have it running in the background on our phones, we might just accumulate enough play-time over the course of a few weeks to match the experience we enjoyed in high school or college.

It just won’t be quite as immersive. Is there some truth to this theory? Let me know if you’re one of us.