Eesh. Not to be "that guy," but I really just want to say this thread left me with a bad taste. I don't expect anyone to change their opinions or stop sharing them, just sharing my own.
I read a lot of RPG forums and I've always found Enworld enjoyably drama-free, but to me this thread was just a toxic train wreck worthy of Twitter. Joe has always seemed like a "true" gamer, by which I mean it seems like he genuinely has a great passion for gaming. He's not jumping on a bandwagon, he's just doing something he's always loved doing, except doing it in his current circumstances (which means beautiful gaming room, disposable income, and famous friends).
Like Colbert, like Martin, like Woll and Diesel and Middleditch and all the other gamers of varying celebrity, it's just... fun to read about famous people who love the games I love. I thought Joe's Omaze video was fantastic, and his beaming smile was totally infectious. It makes me happy to know that this article (and all the others) shows non-gamers a different face to a too-often misunderstood hobby.
And then I come here and it all just turns to ash because at the moment the article was written, his home group didn't have any women players.
I don't expect the whole world, even the whole gamer world, to share my vibes on Joe, or celebrity gamers, or much of anything really -- but it was legit surprising and off-putting to see so much pushback against what sure seems like just a regular ol' gamer (who now happens to be in the public eye) psyched to be able to fanboy out about his favorite game, his cool gaming room, and the players in his group to another demo.
Just a bummer. Two cents, that's all.