[2] He dropped out of North Carolina State University; he later told gaming blog Brutal Gamer "if you want to be a programmer, do not go to college.

In August 2003 he was hired by Learning Station, where he developed server software and applications in Flash, C++, PHP, and ASP.

In July 2005 he decided to shift to the computer game field and went to work for Streamline Studios, where he assisted in optimizing and porting the Unreal 2.x engine from the original Xbox to the Xbox 360,[4] In May 2006, Refenes and Aubrey Hesselgren, a game designer, founded the company Pillowfort.

In 2009 he co-founded the company Team Meat with game and graphics designer Edmund McMillen, with Refenes acting as programmer and co-CEO.

In response to its removal he and McMillen launched the Super Meat Boy Handheld on the App Store.