Who among us has never succumbed to the temptation of crafting extravagant, absurd palaces for our avatars in Minecraft Pocket Edition? Towers, columns, portals, arches, and halls constructed from – and filled with – treasures unearthed by our virtual labor. Another statue made entirely of diamond blocks in MCPE? Why not!
Ah, but perhaps I should be more cautious with my finances. Now I am aware of the fate that befell a man named W. Wealth, who became the richest individual only to realize that money cannot buy happiness.
However, one can certainly purchase luxury and beauty with wealth. Just take a look at his magnificent home. Piles of enormous gold coins are carelessly scattered around. A villa perched atop a grand palace in Minecraft PE.
A theater, telescope, and globe reveal Wealth’s aspirations to embody culture, knowledge, and sophistication. In a nod to Egyptian mythology, a giant scale weighs feathers on one side against the heart of W. Wealth on the other.
Fortunately, the sins within his heart weigh less than the feathers, leaving some hope for W. Wealth, though the hourglass indicates that his time may be running out.
The mastermind behind all this is Gigeno, who aims not just to dazzle but also to convey a deeper message: “I created a model of a person who achieved their goals to become the wealthiest individual. By surrounding himself with possessions, he ultimately found himself trapped in the pursuit of happiness. He did not realize that true happiness comes from helping others and having friends to share your time with.”
“This is my critique of the baroque era, filled with unnecessary opulence masking the melancholy of sorrowful individuals. The same applies to our modern society.”
Even such an ambitious project had humble beginnings. “It all starts with a simple idea. This time, I built a palace on top of another palace to showcase the epic nature of classical architecture,” explains Gigeno.
“The small palace on top served as a reference point for the scale. Each part was constructed separately to avoid feeling constrained during the build. Every additional element simply added more ‘shine’ to the project, enriching it with vibrant details.”
Over time, however, this endeavor in Minecraft Pocket Edition evolved into something far more ambitious. “I worked on the palace for a while without any specific concept or story. Then one of my friends mentioned something about gold lying on the ground, which sparked a completely new idea. I quickly jotted it down, and the next day I began gathering ideas to expand the concept. After a few days, I finally completed the tale of the unfortunate W. Wealth.”
As you might expect, given the complexity of his constructions, Gigeno is no stranger to building palaces in MCPE. His projects are fueled by his passion for real historical buildings.
Ultimately, the project didn’t take too long to create a replica of the actual palace that inspired him, yet it still consumed a full two months of Gigeno’s time. “I feel like I could have done even more, but I was somewhat lazy. Overall, this is my largest project.”
While you probably shouldn’t emulate the life choices of lonely, sad W. Wealth, you might want to follow in the footsteps of his creator and construct something grandiose in the baroque style in Minecraft PE, just like he did.
“If you want to build something incredible, you must start small. Use conceptual art to fuel your creativity and always enjoy everything you build. I recommend familiarizing yourself with the basics of architecture to fully understand what you’re constructing and to improve upon it.”
