To meet this growth, Curtin has launched a new undergraduate degree, the Bachelor of Digital Creative Industries<\/a>. Designed by industry practitioners and passionate educators, it will teach you how to master the art of digital storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jonathan Pillai is Head of Program and Dean of Learning Futures in the Faculty of Humanities. He says the curriculum of the Digital Creative Industries course (DCI for short) combines technical mastery, creative foundations and industry engagement. This reflects not only the evolving needs of industry, but also the new needs of audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEmerging technologies and rapid change are reshaping our world. This transformation touches every aspect of how we live, learn and connect,\u201d Jonathan explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAdaptive transformation in education is no longer a matter of choice \u2013 it\u2019s essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith the impact of social media and all these new platforms at our fingertips, the ability for our students to be multimodal and create different types of creative content is so important.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Watch Jonathan sum up this digital media course in this video<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The digital creative industry is massive: it includes well-known giants like DreamWorks, Sony Pictures Animation, Studio Ghibli and Nintendo, as well as smaller firms like indie VFX company Rising Sun Pictures in Adelaide, and OMG<\/a>, a media tech company based in Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its people primarily work in entertainment i.e films, video games, television\/streaming, but can also work in areas such as education, health, marketing, retail and journalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To cover its breadth, the DCI course has been structured into three majors, each cultivating distinct skillsets and knowledge:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re interested in the DCI course and find yourself struggling to choose just one major, don\u2019t panic \u2013 you can choose two (known as a double major). Or you can choose a specialisation from the digital creative field or a different complementary area, such as creative writing or marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of which major\/s you choose, you\u2019ll enhance your talent for storytelling. Jonathan says this skill has become more critical than ever because<\/em> of the explosion of technology, rather than despite of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou must know the fundamental aspects of storytelling so you can produce compelling content that holds peoples\u2019 emotions, and not just across one platform, but across multiple platforms,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s greater demand now for different types of content, so to stand out you need to be very good at your craft, as with higher demand comes higher expectations of quality.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n In the DCI course you\u2019ll learn the fundamentals of the creative process, like character development and plot, before you\u2019re introduced to technologies to express and expand your narrative. Jonathan says this means going back to basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe start off even just by drawing, and then building up that scaffolding, that skill, into the software and then using the software to feed back into the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStudents learn that whatever they\u2019re doing needs to be a creative process not just a technical process,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or, as George Lucas once said, \u201cA special effect is a tool, a means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is pretty boring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Naturally, you will use a lot <\/em>of very cool software and tech in this course. Classes are held in the high-end Media Production Studio, which features real-time rendering capabilities and post-production systems; and digital labs with industry software including Maya, ZBrush, Unreal Engine and Unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using industry standard equipment means you\u2019ll transition to the workplace with confidence. And with each uni project you complete, you\u2019ll be building an impressive portfolio to showcase to potential employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the DCI course, your learning is reinforced through internships with local and global organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSome of our students have interned with OMG in Singapore, working on feature films and getting insight into the whole virtual production pipeline,\u201d says Jonathan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s actually mind-boggling that our students get that chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt also gives them the opportunity to be exposed to different industry standards, cultures and people as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Curtin alum Max Wright, an industry internship became a full-time job. He studied Animation and Game Design is an earlier version of the DCI course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through a government-back program called the New Colombo Plan<\/a>, Max undertook an internship in Singapore at LAI Games<\/a> \u2013 a leading developer and manufacturer of arcade games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I got to work with some of the most well-known game studios in the world, such as Ubisoft and CD Projekt Red. Receiving feedback from their lead artists and marketing staff gave me the insight into how to not only create industry standard work, but also work that goes ‘beyond’ in terms of creation and presentation,” Max explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Max’s affinity for 3D game design saw LAI Games offer him full-time employment in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “My job title is 3D artist, but I do a variety of rewarding work in other areas. A recent project I’ve completed is an arcade game set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Through this project, I’ve worked on 2D art, animation, UI and UX work, product design, trailer production. I even got to suit up in motion capture gear for a mocap performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The game recently won the Brass Ring Award at the IAAPA Expo in the US. It was a very rewarding project for me and I’m excited to see it roll out around the world.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n It wouldn\u2019t be right to explore creative programs and careers without addressing the AI elephant in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is valid concern from the creative industry globally about AI \u2018taking jobs\u2019 and the consequences of removing the human experience from the creative process<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But Jonathan takes a pragmatic approach to the technology. AI is digital, he says, so it\u2019s always been a part of the digital creative industry in some way, and it can be a useful tool that frees up creatives to do other work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He does say, however, that he makes space for his students to discuss and learn about AI, including its ethical impacts in the creative sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think the challenge for us now and for our students is to ask, what is our creative value?\u201dDigital and Creative Industries: origin story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Choose your own adventure: DCI course curriculum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Back to the drawing board<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Real-time experience leads to real-world work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
OMG, I can do a creative internship overseas?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"OMG](\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/OMG.jpg\")
“I get to play arcade games all day as a job!”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Image-9-2-768x500.jpg\")
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<\/a>The future of creatives in an AI world<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you know your creative value, the humanity that you bring to AI, that\u2019s the creative spark that makes the difference.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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