It sounds like you're referring to the concept or perhaps a specific essay titled "Heroes and Generals" — though not a universally famous standalone work like Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant", it's a rich thematic title that often appears in military history, political science, and leadership studies.
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4.1 The General-Player Disconnect A frequent criticism within the community was the disconnect between the "Generals" and the "Heroes." Often, strategic commanders would sacrifice assault teams in unwinnable battles simply to buy time, frustrating the FPS players who were forced to fight losing battles with limited resources. Conversely, FPS players often played recklessly, wasting expensive equipment that Generals had spent in-game currency to deploy. This "asymmetry of interest" often led to player friction. It sounds like you're referring to the concept