I know that people can have strangely fragile egos but the idea of being upset for being known for something, no matter how benign, is completely foreign to me.
I assure you it has nothing to do with embarrassment. It's unfortunate, but speech often has very serious consequences.
I'm talking about the potential for real life harassment (folks calling my employer, showing up at my house, swatting, etc) if I were to say something controversial. I am specifically concerned with being doxxed and criminal harassment.
There's a vast world of difference between people making comments in poor taste over a game and the level people sometimes go to if they engage in an argument and lose in an embarrassing way. I would not recommend that anyone freely engage in internet debates in a non-anonymous fashion.
Regardless of what he builds, what industry he is in, there will always be people there to criticize. Why throw away opportunity that most people wish they had due to something that will occur regardless of the revenue?
Being a martyr only works in certain circumstances. This is not one of them.
If you look at mobile game development, it's not a bad bet to guess that he won't. It's a big ol' dart board.
If he lives in Vietnam, one day would set him up for the rest of his life.