Saagar Kote
Netflix’s ‘The Game: You Never Play Alone’ focuses on the life of Kavya Rajaram, a gifted game developer who specializes in creating content centered on women’s experiences. Created by Amalga Creations Medias Inc., the Tamil-language Indian drama series delves into the themes of gender, justice, and family. Despite her talent, she encounters sexism and prejudice both at work and online. Her professional and personal relationship with her husband, Anoop, who is also her colleague, complicates her ambition for career advancement. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she is assaulted by unknown attackers and left unconscious on a beach.
As Kavya seeks to uncover the identities of those responsible, she must also contend with the toxic culture of online trolling and the prejudiced views of patriarchal society. The most dangerous online entity in the show is the dark web group called “Deadbeats Dudes” or “Vetti Pasanga” (Tamil name). The group proves to be a major hurdle in the protagonist’s life and plays an important role in the narrative. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Deadbeats Dudes is an Online Forum For Sexist and Violent Men
In ‘The Game: You Never Play Alone,’ the dark web group called Deadbeats Dudes (DD) becomes a severe threat to the protagonist, Kavya. The writer Deepthi Govindarajan conveys the dangers of such platforms through the series. Not only do the members of DD harass the main character, but they also attack those women who speak in favor of women’s issues. They also post vulgar images of women online and blackmail them for money. The core idea of the group is to oppose the liberation of women and prevent them from speaking for themselves. In the real world, there are dangerous platforms in both the regular web and the dark web, which target women due to a sense of male superiority. DD reflects this reality, where toxic men discreetly blame women online for their own shortcomings. According to a 2025 report from the UN Women, the “manosphere” harms women on a global scale.
The manosphere is a term used to describe online forums that promote the superiority of men over women, and also try to portray feminism in a bad light. Like DD in the series, in the real world, the manosphere has become a major threat that not only affects women but also targets vulnerable men who easily fall prey to its propaganda and bias. This is particularly dangerous for teenage boys, as seen in Netflix’s show ‘Adolescence.’ It has come to light that 58 per cent of girls and young women have experienced some form of online harassment. A troubling trend revealed in the report is that 40% of adult U.S. men surveyed, and half of younger men, express trust in one or more “men’s rights,” anti-feminist, or pro-violence voices from the manosphere.
The actions undertaken by the members of the DD group in the show capture this reality of how brainwashing and other social factors can lead to dangerous trends in both the online world and the real world. Despite the series taking some cinematic liberties in terms of the portrayal of the dark web group, it can be said that the issues that it highlights have a strong basis in reality. The challenges faced by Kavya reflect the struggles of countless women who are forced to defend themselves against a rapidly growing community of men who mostly remain anonymous. Ultimately, the show poignantly explores the realm of toxic masculinity through the happenings in the Deadbeats Dudes dark web forum.
