> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.sevenpens.com/drawtab/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.sevenpens.com/drawtab/basics/scenarios/gaming.md). # Gaming with a drawing tablet My hobby around drawing tablets centers largely on creatives - people who draw, sketch, and paint. Despite using tablets for well over a decade, I only discovered in 2022 that people also use drawing tablets for games. Some of these games are very popular. ## osu! ![](/files/ET55VYn6FPOsMrNnt6d9) **osu!** is a popular rhythm game and many of its players use drawing tablets instead of a mouse. [**Example of someone playing osu! with a tablet**](https://youtu.be/j3wIf_kWmPM) - this video is relatively well known in the osu! community. ### osu! is very popular osu! has about 1.7 million monthly active users. You can get the live stats from here:
## How osu! players use drawing tablets While creatives tend to use their drawing tablets in standard ways, osu! players do a number of quite surprising things: ### Active area size * Players use tablets of various sizes: Small, Medium, and Large. Small is the most popular based on the videos I've seen. * Players often customize the active area to be surprisingly small - **much smaller** than even the default active area. In the video above, notice how the player moved the pen only in a tiny region of that tablet. ### Drivers * Players often do not use manufacturer **drivers**. Instead, they use [OpenTabletDriver](/drawtab/guides/drivers/opentabletdriver.md) because: * OTD has less lag than manufacturer drivers * OTD is highly customizable through its plug-in system * OTD works across many tablet models * OTD works on Windows, macOS, and Linux ### **Drag vs hover** * Drag players play with the pen touching the surface of the tablet. * Hover players don't let the pen touch the tablet surface. ### Clicking There are various **clicking** styles used by osu! players. * click by tapping the pen on the tablet * click by using the keyboard * click by alternating between the pen tapping and keyboard presses ### Tablet expertise Some osu! players - at least the ones I communicate with regularly - are **remarkably knowledgeable** about drawing tablets. They know a tremendous amount about the hardware, drivers, etc. Some conduct original research and testing of tablets. Some write code for OpenTabletDriver. I would consider them **absolute experts** - far beyond any drawing tablet reviewer, including me. They are also **incredibly sensitive** to microscopic behaviors, latencies, etc. in drawing tablets - far more than someone who has typically has used tablets only for creative tasks. ### **Advanced customization** Players do **advanced customization** of osu! through OpenTabletDriver plug-ins. Some examples: * Circular/Elliptical tablet areas * Rotated tablet areas * Live active area randomization ### Picking a drawing tablet for osu! More here: [Osu! recommendations](/drawtab/recs/scenario-recs/osu-recs.md) ## **FPS games** Players using drawing tablets for FPS games is less common than for Rhythm games, but this is the preferred input device for some people. * Example: [video](https://youtu.be/9yVK859vZRs)