Meanwhile, the gamer side of Werk’s personality was geeking out on the Stepn rewards system. It’s not as simple as “buy a digital sneaker, walk and earn rewards.” That’s the general idea, but the game has a complicated framework of level-ups, mini-rewards, random prizes and decisions you can make to optimize your loot. (The game also, to the chagrin of many, entices you to pour more money into Stepn, a feature that caused thousands of users to quit. More on that later.) “You can gamify every part of it,” says Werk with excitement, speaking quickly. He explains that you can win “mystery boxes” that might contain digital goodies like “gems” (used to upgrade the sneaker) or perhaps “minting scrolls.”
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