ive been playing this game since 2011 when i was in middle school and im still coming back to it. im sinking hours into it after work while my puppy sleeps next to my desk and my gf is working evening shift. its such a cozy game and reminds me of when i spent all day after school playing MC and other games w friends. its not just nostalgia tho, its just such a cute game that can be whatever the player wants. after all this time, i still derive so much joy from exploring a new world, building a sprawling estate, spelunking, and even just mining. even tho MC doesnt track ur hours played, im certain its my most played game
just wanted to share that i love this game 
Some of the later versions show you how to make stuff within the UI. This is not cheating- the original game had people reading patch notes and knowing what to do. The recipes aren't designed to be "figured out"
That knowledge makes the game make way more sense. I also remember running around punching zombies and hiding in a dark hole the first time I played
I had a hard time differentiating between creepers and zombies in the dark of night (mind you, it was Beta 1.5 and the night was dark). Suffice to say, the beach that I had settled on looked like Omaha Beach by dawn.
Yeah I remember playing back in the day and it was so fucking hard to see at night