Is this still true? Long time ago I last played Minecraft, but it's terrible common for games to change to be more mass-market friendly when bought by larger companies (Microsoft in this case), so it would surprise me if its still like that.
Community is a huge aspect, shared learning, collaboration, cooperation
Imagination also plays a big role. You have to create your own story and see things not as they are, but as what they are to the story. It's reminiscent of childhood and play. HermitCraft is the most notable example of this, but it's pervasive, especially among builders. (i.e. put a railroad on a smoker to make a grill, flower pot as a cup, extended piston as a table, or a fence post with a pressure plate as a table)