On one hand, I started in hobbies I liked watching japanese anime and did recreative Figure ice skating. The first one, a nerdy hobbie that conservative fields such as medicine still view as something for kids even though a good deal of attending doctors I know saw the new Dragon Ball Z movie in theaters.
On the other hand I practiced an unusual sport that not a lot of people can do that requires an insane amount of coordination, balance, flexibility and not to mention persistence since it can take you over 5 years of constant practice to get even remotely decent at it. I got in at the only med school I applied so to say the least my hobbies at least didn't hurt me. I don't recall either hobbie being mentioned at my interview, but it's been over 10 years and I forget things.
I don't see why you consider fishing to be a "dull" or "unoriginal" hobby. I've never, ever, ever, ever met one single doctor that hunts and goes fishing recreatively. I know a few doctors that own a horse and go horseback riding in their ranch on the weekend and a male nurse who owns a farm and tends to his cattle everyday. I personally enjoy fishing, but I know absolutely nobody that cares about the hobby and it's kind of a thing I don't want to be doing alone because I hate it when people see me doing something contemplative and just "HAVE" to go over to start an unwanted chit chat conversation of why I'm white or if I want to marry the first dope walking around the pond. No gracias nahualito!
I think you have to put a thin line on the videogame competitiveness thing though. Many doctors play videogames, I love playing Pokemon games and my So was playing this game called Army of Two or whatever it was called last night, most doctors that are under age 60 which are going to be the majority of doctors you will end up working with from the retirement of the older crop will be familiar with games because they played some of them as kids. So no, mentioning videogames as member of a university club will not sound weird.
However I agree that if your GPA isn't stellar, they might assume you spend all night playing instead of studying and could reject you right there for an equally good applicant that has other hobbies. Mentioning you have published poetry books sounds impressive, not a lot of guys write poetry these days much less actually publish their work.
On a final footnote, while playing a console is good for hand yo eye dexterity, please remember the world is getting filled with a plague called obesity. If you don't look athletic they will assume if you weigh X pounds now while you are in your 20's you will probably get your first heart attack by 40. They will not overly mention that because it's illegal but the discrimination is there. Not so much because you are a money liability for a hospital but more because of the image you must show to your patients. It just doesn't look good when a patient spots their hospitalist smoking and eating french fries outside, has a nice little girth on his belly and the first thing the doctor tells him during rounds is that the patient has to lose weight and eat better. There is still a lot of hush hush silence from doctors having bad life habits now, but in years to come when doctors themselves will be costing their hospitals good cash for their own healthcare hospitals will have a valid excuse to give a little bone to nibble on for doctors that stay fit. There are private hospitals in Texas that won't hire doctors that actively smoke and technically it's a gray area of legality.
If you stay fit, do exercise, have a good GPA and mention you play videogames in regional competitions then I think it will be ok.
