@Tfmonkey I forgot to comment earlier, but there are Minecraft modpacks that add objectives and goals to meet. They are still things like "build an X" but the process to do so is gated behind various technologies.
Not all Minecraft is just an open sandbox. There's one based off Harvest Moon which is quite fun. There are even some dedicated to post-apocalypse gameplay or High Fantasy settings. Some do little crafting and focus on looting and dungeon crawling.
Never play vanilla Minecraft.
@RoninGrey @Tfmonkey All your points have merit and I have great respect for people's work in minecraft, especially those who make those amazing megalithic structures without world edit tools.
I brought this up because I don't think TFM is aware that Minecraft isn't merely a sandbox that can be used for creative expression--not with mods.