Hah, I think you are gauging the wrong complexity :)
Sure, all these things lead to an incredibly deep universe, but you're meant to discover them as you're playing the game. In a way, the metagame (posting on reddit, reading wikis, etc) is just as important as the actual game (which is also true for Minecraft, when it comes to sharing your creations, learning red stone, etc). But knowing these things is certainly not required to start playing the game or to get in the "swing of things".
Sure, all these things lead to an incredibly deep universe, but you're meant to discover them as you're playing the game. In a way, the metagame (posting on reddit, reading wikis, etc) is just as important as the actual game (which is also true for Minecraft, when it comes to sharing your creations, learning red stone, etc). But knowing these things is certainly not required to start playing the game or to get in the "swing of things".