My name is Jarrod Lilkendey and I am building Step Hustle, an organised crime themed MMORPG that turns everyday walking into meaningful progress.

This post is a quick look at what I am trying to achieve with this game and why.

Like many people, I have struggled to build a lasting habit around physical activity. After years of a sedentary lifestyle, staying motivated day after day was difficult.

What finally helped was walking. It is underrated, it is free, it clears my head, and it is achievable even on tough days.

But the tools I used to stay motivated to continue walking, such as wearables and their apps, only scratched the surface. Badges, charts, and leaderboards are nice, but they do not feel like a game.

I also played GPS games such as Pokemon GO and Pikmin Bloom. They definitely get you moving, but they come with trade-offs. They are not great in rural areas, they increasingly reward playing from a couch, and they rely on predatory monetisation that keeps you glued to your phone rather than being present in your community.

Step Hustle is my attempt to address those gaps in the following ways.

Make movement the core loop

Your real-world steps fuel in-game jobs, missions, and progression without needing to stare at your phone.

Habit builder first, phone second

You can play passively while you are out and about. Check in when you want and keep moving when you do not.

Fair, simple business model

No micro transactions, no ads, no selling of user data, no pay to win mechanics. Just a straightforward monthly subscription so incentives remain aligned.

Walk anywhere to play

The game is not tied to dense maps of points of interest based on your real world location. I have no reason to ever request GPS permissions on your device. Progress comes from your steps wherever you are.

A real game, not just a tracker

It is an MMORPG with an organised crime flavour, with missions to uncover, skills to level, and loot to earn, powered by your daily movement.

My goal with Step Hustle is to gamify movement in a way that genuinely builds a habit.

I want to help people hit their daily movement goals, feel better, and think clearer, without draining your wallet on a game that adopts dirty monetisation tactics.

If that resonates, I would love to share more as development continues.