The sound comes from the hitmarker feedback in first-person shooters such as Call of Duty, where a small tick confirms damage on an opponent. It was lifted by MLG montage parody creators on YouTube in the early to mid 2010s, who exaggerated professional Major League Gaming edits with rapid zooms, memes and repeated hit sounds. Instead of appearing once, it was layered dozens of times for comic effect. That overuse made it instantly recognisable beyond gaming, and it remains a shorthand for a perfectly timed hit in short edits.