Practically every free second aside from finishing my work from freshmen to junior year was spent on video games. I had a revelation of the summer and realized how I was wasting my life away and this year I tried changing everything by taking two AP math classes, starting a club with a couple friends as well as continuing my involvement in wrestling and marching band for the 4th year. I have a 4.3 gpa and I trying biomed for UCSD and UCLA. Also, I only have 16 volunteer hours, this year only, and failed to get involved in any clubs in high school. Im really putting out the bad side of me but if you think it would be good which UC prompt should I do it for and I’d greatly take any other advice concerning college right now 
I think its an interesting topic- you got perspective and made a positive change. I think you should write it, then get feedback from English teachers etc
I don’t know why people think playing video games is such a bad thing. Many schools have Computer Science with concentration in Video Games now. Check out USC, RPI, WPI, etc. Many video game companies made it big – read the stories of Mojang (Minecraft), SuperCell (Clash of Clans), Blizzard, Riot, etc. It is a very viable college and career option. Don’t let adults who don’t understand the industry persuade you that video games are waste of time.
I think that anything that you call an “obsession” is probably not a healthy thing for you. This essay could explain the lack of ECs and the other things on your transcript that you’re not happy with.
So I think it may be a good idea.
But it’s mid November. Get this written-- very soon!-- and ask your English teacher to take a look at it.
Anything that matters most to you is a good topic.
Number one thing to keep in mind is write an essay only YOU could write.
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/uploads/1/0/9/5/109505679/hack_the_college_essay_2017.pdf
Don’t talk about things that make colleges worry you will not be successful in college…so be careful of “obsession”.
But if you talk about how you like video games because you felt like you got a sense of accomplishment but then realized that those accomplishments are not helping anyone and that you decided to work with your friends to start a club instead…that would be good.
Ehhh, I don’t think it sounds like a good essay topic.
In my mind, it’s not really that compelling. Unless there’s another angle that you’re planning to take, on face it comes across as “I used to spend a lot of time playing video games, but then I realized that I wanted to attend an elite college so gave up something I really liked and then I did the same thing as every other elite college hopeful does.” It also doesn’t really tell me anything about you as a person, other than that you like video games.
I would be far more interested in why you were playing those video games - the rise and fall of your play. There are lots of fascinating studies on why people are motivated to play them, what they get out of them, etc. Was it the compulsion to get 100% completion, the camaraderie of working with friends to accomplish a goal, the immersion into different stories and new worlds? Talking about it from that angle would actually give me a deep dive into you, as a person, and draw me in and make me want to know more about you.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be that. You can talk about the process of starting a club with a couple of friends; you can describe the highs you get involved with wrestling; you can write about your progression through marching band…any of those things would, by themselves, be tons more interesting than a simple listing of all the things you started doing since senior year. Your essay should be a window into your personality.