Describing reality accurately is not an appeal to anything, except maybe common sense.
There is a logical fallacy called "Appeal to Common Sense" too. Obviously what is common sense to you may not be common sense to anyone else. Semantics aside, industry standards aren't exactly high as far as video game development but luckily there have been efforts by some stellar individuals to raise the bar. For instance, some developers keep a development diary letting fans know what features they can look forward to. It boils down to making development less of a black box and engaging your audience in a way that piques their interest.
