The freeze ray comes from Roblox, the long running online game platform where players build and play user made games, and where freeze weapons have long been used to stop opponents in place. Short clips of the effect spread through gaming videos and soundboards because the zap is instantly recognisable even without gameplay on screen. It is often paired in edits with the roblox oof when a character gets hit right after freezing. The sound remains popular for quick, family friendly gaming jokes rather than serious action scenes.