Colleges want to enroll students who have great grades, high test scores, and thought-provoking, well-written essays. But they also want students who have been involved in and committed to something. Anything! Involvement in extracurricular activities tells colleges that you are motivated, passionate, social, interested, and that you know how to manage your time. It also serves as an indicator to them that--should they choose to accept you--you will get involved on their campus and bring whatever you have to offer to their extracurricular table.
I won't lie to you. Most schools, for these reasons, do see extracurricular activities as an important admissions factor (though not above your GPA or test scores). The weight they give this component of your application will vary from school to school.
There are really only two things you can do at this point:
1) Get involved now (today!!!) with at least one or two things that you can include on your college application. Ideally, they will relate to something else about you. If you've taken a lot of science classes in school, join the Science Club or the Environmental Club. If your intended college major is Political Science, join the Debate team. It may not look great that you got involved this late in the game, but it can't really hurt, either.
2) Fill the extracurricular activities section of your college applications with as many other things you have honestly been doing. I would not suggest including Nintendo on that list. However, anything you can think of that might show commitment and passion, try to include it. Are you a member of your church choir? Do you do a lot of mountain biking and you repair mountain bikes on the side? Have you been playing golf or taking tap dancing since you were just a wee tot? Any volunteer work, fiction writing, computer programming that you do for fun? All these things count you know. Whatever you can do to spruce up and round out this section of your application will help you immensely, even if the activities didn't take place on school grounds.
And lastly, if there is a valid and compelling reason that you were not involved in your school's activities-for example, you held down a steady part-time job to save for money college, or you devoted yourself to diet and exercise at the gym so you could lose an unhealthy 30 lbs.--let them know that, too. Situations like these show responsibility, self-discipline, and stick-to-itiveness that ought to account for something.
Now, two last words of advice. First, if the schools to which you are applying offer you the option of an interview, take it. Then seize the opportunity to wow them when you talk about why you love their school as well as some of the things that make you really passionate in life. Show them you are not an angry recluse or an antisocial TV addict, which they might be assuming due to your lack of activities. And second--and this is really your own deal--get involved in something once you get to college!!!
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