Motivating Example for Algebraic Geometry/Scheme Theory

I am in the process of trying to learn algebraic geometry via schemes and am wondering if there are simple motivating examples of why you would want to consider these structures.

I think my biggest issue is the following: I understand (and really like) the idea of passing from a space to functions on a space. In passing from $k^n$ to $R:=k[x_1,\ldots,x_n]$, we may recover the points by looking at the maximal ideas of $R$. But why consider $\operatorname{Spec} R$ instead of $\operatorname{MaxSpec} R$? Why is it helpful to have non-closed points that don't have an analog to points in $k^n$? On a wikipedia article, it mentioned that the Italian school used a (vague) notion of a generic point to prove things. Is there a (relatively) simple example where we can see the utility of non-closed points?

See my answer here for a brief discussion of how points that are closed in one optic (rational solutions to a Diophantine equation, which are closed points on the variety over $\mathbb Q$ attached to the Diophantine equation) become non-closed in another optic (when we clear denominators and think of the Diophantine equation as defining a scheme over $\mathbb Z$).

In terms of rings (and connecting to Qiaochu's answer), under the natural map $\mathbb Z[x_1,...,x_n] \to \mathbb Q[x_1,...,x_n]$, the preimage of maximal ideals are prime, but not maximal.

These examples may give impression that non-closed points are most important in arithmetic situations, but actually that is not the case. The ring $\mathbb C[t]$ behaves much like $\mathbb Z$, and so one can have the same discussion with $\mathbb Z$ and $\mathbb Q$ replaced by $\mathbb C[t]$ and $\mathbb C(t)$. Why would one do this?

Well, suppose you have an equation (like $y^2 = x^3 + t$) which you want to study, where you think of $t$ as a parameter. To study the generic behaviour of this equation, you can think of it as a variety over $\mathbb C(t)$. But suppose you want to study the geometry for one particular value of $t_0$ of $t$. Then you need to pass from $\mathbb C(t)$ to $\mathbb C[t]$, so that you can apply the homomorphism $\mathbb C[t] \to \mathbb C$ given by $t \mapsto t_0$ (specialization at $t_0$). This is completely analogous to the situation considered in my linked answer, of taking integral solutions to a a Diophantine equation and then reducing them mod $p$.

What is the upshot? Basically, any serious study of varieties in families (whether arithmetic families, i.e. schemes over $\mathbb Z$, or geometric families, i.e. parameterized families of varieties) requires scheme-theoretic techniques and the consideration of non-closed points.

(Of course, serious such studies were made by the Italian geometers, by Lefschetz, by Igusa, by Shimura, and by many others before Grothendieck's invention of schemes, but the whole point of schemes is to clarify what came before and to give a precise and workable theory that encompasses all of the contexts considered in the "old days", and is also more systematic and more powerful than the older techniques.)

Here's a simple intersection theoretic example.

Take the intersection of the line $y=0$ and the parabola $y=x^2$. Classically, the intersection is a point. But note that there is more to the intersection than just the point; there is the fact that the two curves are tangent at that point. Scheme-theoretically, the intersection is $\operatorname{Spec} k[x,y]/(y,y-x^2) \cong \operatorname{Spec} k[x]/(x^2)$. This reflects the tangency. If the intersection were transverse, then the scheme-theoretic intersection would have been just $\operatorname{Spec} k$.

Higher order tangencies can be seen in the scheme-theoretic intersection as well; for example, repeat this exercise with $y=x^3$ in place of $y=x^2$.