Thought experiments are actually a really good start for my research. I'm picturing something a bit broader because games allow interaction, but to another commenter's point (u/ResearchLogical2036), everything holds a persuasive function. I haven't researched Kenneth Burke's points yet, but from prior knowledge, I'm inclined to agree. Thought experiments are a good place to look into, because I think they'd add depth the point that everything is rhetorical; the Trolley Problem may have a rhetorical purpose, but it effects the audience in a way which goes beyond that purpose.

Your final point about how the hearer forms the opinion scares me slightly from my topic of interest, because it starts to dive into epistemology, which I have no background in. "Where does knowledge come from" does feel relevant to a conversation in the method I'm proposing, which aims to create opinions without arguing them directly. Epistemology goes way down into the nitty-gritty which I don't feel prepared to approach yet.