I'm addicted, dammit!
I was curious so i took the plunge.
To start off, it's rather ugly in the visual dept. (Although gaming skins to improve the looks are popping up every day)
It looks like something very basic from the early 1980s. Watching the blocky animals hop around on the blocky landscape is ironically funny though.
It's also a bit humorous seeing a square sun rise and set followed by a square moon.
At any rate it's the gameplay that will slowly creep up on you untill you realize you don't want to stop playing. hours can roll by in what seemed like no more than 30-45 minutes.
It's all about mining resources with the goal of turning those resources into usable items, all the while avoiding the various monsters and pitfalls that dot the landscape.
Most monsters come out only at night, or appear in any unlit area be that a cavern, right around the corner in a dark area, or any place that isn't illuminated in either sunlight or man made light (torches).
There is one particular beast that can reside in light and it's a pain in the ass unless you can kill it from a distance or run away from it because it explodes, usually killing you in the blast. (it also does major damage to your man made domicile so be careful not to let it near your humble abode).
If the constant thrill of having to hide at night and or avoiding the exploders doesn't excite you there is an easy mode that eliminates all would be predators from the game, allowing you to explore, mine, and build to your hearts content without fear of being eaten or decimated.
Be aware though you can still die from falling from big heights or catching on fire regardless of difficulty setting.
Once you mine a particular item you can use that item (depending on what it is) to build structures, terraform the landscape more to your liking or make tools, armor, weapons, or vehicles with it.
There really isn't any goal to the game other than collecting, creating, and surviving so it isn't exactly deep in scope. It's the fun of the adventure of doing these things that makes it so addicting because you live in a really big sandbox that you sculpt into whatever you desire.
It's amazing with all the newer games with fancy graphics, great story lines, and massive marketing out there that i would choose to spend most of my gaming time playing minecraft.
The truth is it's simply about the best entertainment value for the money that i know of.
If you love simple elegance and creativity then check this game out. I love it.