>>6036375>>6036369>>6036282>>6036246Subtelty is nice, but it doesn't always get results. It's time to use every trick in the book to keep him engaged and interested, even if some stuff might break suspension of disbelief. You won't use personal information too much, that's a little much, but everything else is on the table.
You start small, you change the version number of the game to something else, then you start making NPC be a little more reactive. Reacts more to looting, but also other actions. More conversation options that represent the type of character he's playing as specifically. You're creating what is from his point of view, the most advanced roleplaying game ever made. Of course, it's all smoke and mirrors, you're manually changing the game whenever he shows up, and if not for you, the game's script would surely break in an instant, but that doesn't matter as long as he doesn't notice.
His fascination with the game grows stronger, but even after knowing for a fact it's a special version of the game, and people constantly asking for 'proof', he refuses to share more than screenshots and occasionally gameplay footage. He might not want to share the game because it's making him special right now, if he shares it, then he might have nothing left to talk about online.
This isn't what you wanted, but it's not all bad. You have a stronger link with him, and he has started doing walkthroughs of his game. He lacks charisma, but you keep the content interesting enough to make up for it. Now, this does give you a bigger reach, in a way. You can't really affect someone through a video, but subliminal messages are still an option, are they not? Most people seems to think this whole game isn't real and instead some kind of ARG, maybe you could play into that too.
"Uhm, yeah so I think..." he whispers into his mic, but it's still too loud. "...I think the dungeon's almost done- I know people said that I'm checking stuff too much, but there's a lot of secrets that the other game doesn't have. Like, I still don't know what the cat tail does. I uh, I wanted to reload a save, but the game only has one saveslot for some reason, kind of annoying. Oh, the girl found the key, that's nice."
His commentary is a little redundant, but it has its charm. He's currently on some quest for the girl, and you hinted at a 'reward' from her. You don't think you can make proper fanservice in this engine without it being awkward, so maybe a fade to black, or maybe something else? He's getting very close to the end of that dungeon, so you'll need to think of something to put here.
>The girl is taken away, and he must follow your instructions to free her.>Include a text file in the folder with enigmatic text for him to dig into. The more time he spends thinking about the game, the better.>Hide hints for Josh and the viewers to find. They want an ARG? You'll give them one.>Stick with the original 'reward', hopefully making him more enamored with the girl. 