This plot device involves some means of seeing into your target's mind, through magical means or through sci fi tech that allows you to see their inhibitions, weaknesses or hidden desires. For example, an ai nanobot that enters your subjects body reports back to you their mental blocks: the boundary between teacher/student, parent/child, different classes etc. that inhibit them from accepting your desires. The spell/AI nanobot then 'gamifies' these blocks, maybe assigning them a numerical value for difficulty to overcome or assigning them to a 'persona' or facet of your target's psyche. E.g. a teacher's guarded and scholarly persona may be difficult to crack, but maybe by exploiting their weakness for taking care of their students they could be manipulated. in this way the process is like a video game, with the protagonist overcoming the "boss" of the psyche to manipulate, control them, or even break their mind entirely...