1. Building
At its heart, Minecraft is a game about building. You can enter Creative mode and make magnificent structures with all of the world’s materials available to you, or you can play in Survival mode and build fantastic houses, farms, and other things to suit your survival needs.
(http://mylithia.deviantart.com/art/Minecraft-house-1-351033385)
2. Survival
One important part of playing Minecraft is survival mode. You can set it to Peaceful (meaning there are no monsters), Easy (meaning that there are easier monsters), or Hard (meaning that the monsters can and will kill you many times unless you’re really, really good at the game). You’ll also need to find food, which you can kill animals for, catch fish, farm, or cook using ingredients in the world. You’ll need shelter, which you’ll have to build.
(http://www.minecraftinformation.com/images/pig.png)
3. Creativity
One of Minecraft’s biggest draws is the fact that the only real limit is your own imagination. You want to build a massive sprawling castle? There are plenty of tutorials online if you don’t want to come up with your own, or explore at your own pace. You want to build an underground ancient city, lost to the world and decaying? Cool, dig a hole and get started. You want to build a giant likeness of Brad Pitt? Well, okay, but you’ll probably have to build it out of wool and wool catches on fire, so be prepared for that.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ML4xGyktdTA/UAqtq1c_KRI/AAAAAAAAApw/FrVt3SffVbs/s1600/Beautiful+Realistic+Minecraft+Castle.jpg)
4. Open-World Enjoyment
Minecraft is a sandbox game. This means that there is literally just a world for you to play in, like a sandbox, offering you enjoyment and fun with no requirements. There are no quests, nothing in particular that you have to do in order to progress the game. What this really means is that everyone who plays has a different, completely personalized experienced. Mojang just made the sandbox, you get to decide how to play.
(http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-discussion/survival-mode/273570-wheat-seed-drops-problem-solved)
5. Adventure
In addition to farming and surviving, Minecraft is really about making your own adventure. You can go explore caves for resources, finding monster spawn-points and fortresses, or go off through the woods and fields in search of a village to trade with. The oceans hide deep secrets in the form of Guardian Temples, and the swamps are haunted by Witches. There are ancient temples in the desert and in the jungle, hiding away treasures untold. Minecraft is the adventure that you make it.
(http://www.minecraftseeds.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/jungle_temple.png)
For more Minecraft, check out these articles:
10 Sandbox Games You’ll Love
10 Most important Things to Know About Minecraft Mods
7 Minecraft Wonders of the World
