you say that like it's just a number
it's not
I'm confident he knows it's not a number, that doesn't mean people are going to care the same way hardcore tech guys do. People value things differently and those values impact their experiences differently.
Some people absolutely need to have everything running at the highest possible settings, the best modern resolution, with the highest frame rate and if they can't their experience is ruined. That's fine for them, but not everyone's like that.
Using the PC version of
Mortal Kombat X, for example, while there's no question the port had lots of technical issues at launch and for a good while afterwards, I remember so many people were having issues that were self caused.
They refused to play on anything less than 1080p. They refused anything less than 60 FPS. They lost their shit when they found the intros locked at 30 FPS. Basically they refused to make any compromises to simply be able to play and enjoy the game. It was interesting to when lots of these super stubborn people were trying to play on hardware below the minimum requirements. Or people who just past the minimum expecting to play with everything maxed.
Me, I well exceeded the minimum and met much of the recommended system requirements. I adjusted the resolution down to 1600x900, was able to play with all other settings on high values and I got a solid frame rate and was actually able to play and enjoy the game. Would being able to play in 1080p have been visually better? Of course it would have. Did I need to have that or else the game would be trash? No.