His assumption is that the only greatness worth achieving is in the video game world, the kind where some hero goes off to save the world.

My assertion is that the best kind of greatness is the one where a man sacrifices in some way for another, leading to the other's betterment/rescue/etc.

So, in this sense, one could save the world very selfishly and that would be a diminished greatness compared to a son who takes a leave of absence from work to care for his dying father.

no, he is saying that video games give him the simple pleasure of watching stats go up as he performs repetitive tasks. He derives pleasure from simple, yet ultimately hollow achievements because that is the type of praise he was raised on.

Yes this is what I'm alluding to. No offense meant at the parent comment, whose worldview I respect...I'm just saying that what you disagree with the OP on is not a mistaken assumption, but a different frame of reference...