Tommy Refenes
Encyclopedia
Tommy Refenes is an American video game designer/programmer, best known for his work on the game Super Meat Boy, a platformer he co-created with developer Edmund McMillen
.
, "If you want to be a programmer, do not go to college."
, C++
, PHP
, and ASP
. In July 2005 decided to shift to the computer game field and went to work for the now defunct Streamline Studios
, where he assisted in optimizing and porting the Unreal 2.x engine
from the original Xbox
to the Xbox 360
, as well as assisting on the WiiWare
title HoopWorld
. In May 2006, Refenes and Aubrey Hesselgren, a game designer, founded the company Pillowfort. Their first effort was a game they dubbed Goo!. In 2008 Goo! won the grand prize for Best Threaded Game in the 2008 Intel Game Demo Contest, and took third place for Best Game on Intel Graphics. The game was canceled and Refenes left the studio in January 2009. In 2008 he co-founded the company Team Meat with game and graphics designer Edmund McMillen
, with Refenes acting as programmer and Co-CEO. As of November 2010 Super Meat Boy
is the only game they have published together.
2010, Refenes defamed Apple's App Store, calling it "awful" and horrible" and likened its games to the crude Tiger Electronics games that were popular in the 1980s and '90s. Seven days after this speech was given, Apple pulled the game Zits & Giggles from the market. Refenes had developed the game and sold it through the App Store in order to satirize what he considered to be the nonsensical nature of the App Store. In response to its removal he and McMillen launched the Super Meat Boy Handheld on the App Store. The game adopted the art style and gameplay of the Tiger handheld series of games. As Refenes described it, "Super Meat Boy Handheld is all the branding of Super Meat Boy, without the actual gameplay or art from Super Meat Boy...and all for ONLY A DOLLAR."
Edmund McMillen
Edmund McMillen is an American video game designer who is known for his unique visual style and innovative gameplay design, as well as his emphasis on the importance of careful level design and rewarding difficulty curves.-Early life:...
.
Early life
Refenes began programming at the age of eleven, and has been doing so professionally since the age of 18. He did not attend college, and has gone so far as to state in a recent interview with Brutal GamerBrutal Gamer
Brutal Gamer is a video game blog published in the United Kingdom, founded in June 2008 by Leigh Groocock. It was a community focused blog site that has now grown to be one of the most up to date news, reviews and previews sites in the UK.- History :...
, "If you want to be a programmer, do not go to college."
Career
Refenes started at Seventy - Two DPI in August 2001 where he managed their website and servers. In August 2003 he was hired by Learning Station, where he developed server software and applications in FlashAdobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
, C++
C++
C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
, PHP
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
, and ASP
Active Server Pages
Active Server Pages , also known as Classic ASP or ASP Classic, was Microsoft's first server-side script engine for dynamically-generated Web pages. Initially released as an add-on to Internet Information Services via the Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack Active Server Pages (ASP), also known as Classic...
. In July 2005 decided to shift to the computer game field and went to work for the now defunct Streamline Studios
Streamline Studios
Streamline Studios is an independent outsourcing and game developing studio. It was founded in 2001 in Hilversum, the Netherlands.-History:Streamline Studios worked on Gunman Chronicles , Unreal Tournament 2004, Saint's Row, Gears of War, Unreal Tournament 3 among others.Black Hole Recordings, an...
, where he assisted in optimizing and porting the Unreal 2.x engine
Unreal Engine
The Unreal Engine is a game engine developed by Epic Games, first illustrated in the 1998 first-person shooter game Unreal. Although primarily developed for first-person shooters, it has been successfully used in a variety of other genres, including stealth, MMORPGs and RPGs...
from the original Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
to the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, as well as assisting on the WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
title HoopWorld
HoopWorld
HoopWorld, is a 3-on-3 multiplayer arcade basketball game with a kung-fu power-up twist, released in North America on July 19, 2010 and in the PAL region on August 13, 2010 exclusively for WiiWare...
. In May 2006, Refenes and Aubrey Hesselgren, a game designer, founded the company Pillowfort. Their first effort was a game they dubbed Goo!. In 2008 Goo! won the grand prize for Best Threaded Game in the 2008 Intel Game Demo Contest, and took third place for Best Game on Intel Graphics. The game was canceled and Refenes left the studio in January 2009. In 2008 he co-founded the company Team Meat with game and graphics designer Edmund McMillen
Edmund McMillen
Edmund McMillen is an American video game designer who is known for his unique visual style and innovative gameplay design, as well as his emphasis on the importance of careful level design and rewarding difficulty curves.-Early life:...
, with Refenes acting as programmer and Co-CEO. As of November 2010 Super Meat Boy
Super Meat Boy
Super Meat Boy is an independent video game designed by Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes and developed by Team Meat. It is the successor to McMillen and Jonathan McEntee's October 2008 flash game Meat Boy. Super Meat Boy was released on the Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade in October 2010, on...
is the only game they have published together.
Apple App Store controversy
In March 2010 at the Game Developers ConferenceGame Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
2010, Refenes defamed Apple's App Store, calling it "awful" and horrible" and likened its games to the crude Tiger Electronics games that were popular in the 1980s and '90s. Seven days after this speech was given, Apple pulled the game Zits & Giggles from the market. Refenes had developed the game and sold it through the App Store in order to satirize what he considered to be the nonsensical nature of the App Store. In response to its removal he and McMillen launched the Super Meat Boy Handheld on the App Store. The game adopted the art style and gameplay of the Tiger handheld series of games. As Refenes described it, "Super Meat Boy Handheld is all the branding of Super Meat Boy, without the actual gameplay or art from Super Meat Boy...and all for ONLY A DOLLAR."
Games developed
- Beat! Music Memory Match - iOS
- Bitch Hunt - Flash
- Free Money* Scratch n'Win - iOS
- Goo! - Canceled
- Grey Matter - Flash
- HoopWorldHoopWorldHoopWorld, is a 3-on-3 multiplayer arcade basketball game with a kung-fu power-up twist, released in North America on July 19, 2010 and in the PAL region on August 13, 2010 exclusively for WiiWare...
- Wii - Owl Country - Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows
- Super Meat BoySuper Meat BoySuper Meat Boy is an independent video game designed by Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes and developed by Team Meat. It is the successor to McMillen and Jonathan McEntee's October 2008 flash game Meat Boy. Super Meat Boy was released on the Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade in October 2010, on...
- Microsoft Windows, Xbox Live Arcade - Super Meat Boy Handheld - iOS
- Zits & Giggles - iOS
External links
- Tommy's user page at NewgroundsNewgroundsNewgrounds is an American entertainment and social media website. Founded on July 6, 1995 by Tom Fulp, the site primarily hosts Adobe Flash animations and games, but also features a music-oriented page, along with an art portal...
- Team Meat's official website
- Pillowfort's official website