Your metaphor of science as PvE is great, and I do find your narrative leading up to a necessity of PvP in a simulated reality (or any post-scarcity economy really) quite persuasive.

But PvP can take many forms: All sorts of competitive games could be in it, popularity contests (including all the arts), and even tried-and-true competition over mates. I do not see how any necessity for fundamental philosophical disagreements follows from them being part of the PvP set.