The sound comes from Team Fortress 2, Valve's team-based shooter released in 2007, where the Engineer builds a Sentry Gun that automatically targets and fires at nearby enemies. Clips of its distinctive firing loop circulated through TF2 gameplay videos, montages and soundboard sites, becoming shorthand for automated turret fire even outside the game. It remains popular because TF2 has kept a large, active community and because the sound is immediately readable in edits, instantly telling viewers that a defenceless intruder has just triggered a fully upgraded turret.