They definitely play the status games, but no more than any other group.

I'd expect that the local janitor considers status games and their personal status less than the philosophy students that he or she cleans up after. I'd argue that working in higher education is itself a sign that someone pays more attention to the status-game than most, and that philosophy in specific attracts higher-status-seekers than other fields.

There are some selection pressures going on, here (tenure, costs, limited availability, the selection processes favoring status).

I doubt it's the biggest cause, or even a big cause, but I'd not dismiss it entirely.