^^^ I see many more encouraging posts than anything else.
Whether or not MTG is a top notch EC is not relevant. OP’s understanding of himself & the world drawn from that intense experience is, however, relevant. This is why applicants are given a chance to express themselves in college application essays.
Nevertheless, if OP’s gaming experience involved chess, then it would be a regarded differently than MTG if just viewed as a line on an applicant’s resume.
Strategic gaming is valued by the service academies.
I think it is relevance to set expectations for future applicants. The OP is frustrated that others from his HS got into some of his desired schools, and he didn’t. I do agree that colleges may view chess success differently than other types of gaming. And I’m not saying MTG isn’t a fine EC for most colleges, but top schools are looking for a certain EC spark that may not have come through.
But the other thing is that no one knows what is in the apps of those other students from the same HS. They may have summer or out of school ECs you know nothing about — one of my kids did. They may have some racial or ethnic background that helps (a family with kids in both my kids’ grades did, but it wasn’t obvious if you didn’t know the family well). No one knows what their rec letters or essays said. You can’t know for sure what their test scores are — one of my kids had super high scores, but didn’t tell anyone at school.
Michigan is a great school. You can start your life as a Wolverine by rooting for them in the game on Saturday afternoon. 
@SadStrong I think the best way for you to deal with this is to continue on with your head up high. Keep going to school as normal, and work hard as ever. Don’t do anything differently just because you didn’t get into schools your peers got into. Finish your senior year strong, even though you might not be the ‘top scholar’ at your school.
Additionally, calling your middle/upper class white male status a “disadvantage” is somewhat classist and definitely offensive. Someone who claims to be “very self aware” should know that this status affords you many, many opportunities others would love to have, but which you seem to take for granted.
@SadStrong I understand your disappointment. Sometimes when something is within reach, it feels less valuable. I wouldn’t be surprised if you felt differently about UMich if you were OOS. Not a value judgement, either – it’s human nature to feel like the grass is greener somewhere else.
Another perspective for you: I live in metro Boston among families with kids attending tippy-top schools. One parent friend (a Harvard grad, BTW) said her high-stats son didn’t bother applying to UMich because (her words verbatim) “it’s impossible to get in.”
All the best to you! 
@SadStrong Please stay strong. You seem to be a wonderful young man to me. Hope the below article will make you feel better. When I read about your case, I immediately think about this article that my son’s high school counselors have asked all parents to read.
@Sue22 This is exactly what happened to my D this year when she was deferred from what we considered her “target” LAC during the ED cycle. The feedback from the AO when my daughter’s counselor probed was that “her essay and supplements didn’t match the rest of her application which they thought was strong”, and she didn’t sound “likeable” in her essays. Like your D’s friend, she also wrote a “lighter” essay and had some fun with the supplements using wit and humor. I guess the school didn’t get it and was expecting a more “serious”-sounding candidate.
My D is a published writer who has won many awards, so we never thought her essays would be the issue with her application. We were all floored because her writing was reviewed by her very experienced school counselor, English teachers who have published their own novels, etc., and no one “caught” this anomaly that the AO mentioned.
Anyway, point is there’s no way of knowing for sure what colleges are looking for every year. She ended up withdrawing her deferral, as she got into another school EDII and totally soured on her original 1st choice. She concluded that they take themselves way too seriously.
@SadStrong I hope this feeling of setback eventually turns into a sense of motivation about what you will be able to accomplish at Michigan. It truly is a fantastic school, and I think you’ll have many opportunities to shine there. If you plan to go to Grad School, WHERE you go for undergrad matters less than WHAT you do in those 4 years. I realized after working a few years that where you go to undergrad matters very little compared to what you do in Grad School and at your first jobs.
@ClassOf2018P wrote:
This reminds me of the tell all book from Michele Hernandez, formerly an admissions officer at Dartmouth.
https://www.amazon.com/Admission-Insiders-Getting-League-Colleges/dp/0446540676
Definitely keep it simple. Remember your audience here, everybody.
@ClassOf2018P - Sometimes, I think the whole admission process is not fair. I think they put too much emphasis on a single essay and ignore all the hard work and achievements that students like your daughter have put in for 4 years.
I also think that many English teachers do not think like admissions officers.
Life isn’t fair. The earlier our kids learn that and become resilient, the better off they will be IMO. Besides, one can get a great education at SO MANY colleges in this country.
“she also wrote a “lighter” essay and had some fun with the supplements using wit and humor”
I think writing with humor is extremely tough to do well and is probably better left out of 99.9% of college essays, especially since you don’t really know what your intended audience will find funny in this case. Even professional comedians write, rewrite, and rewrite again and stuff will still fall flat sometimes. Her proofreaders all knew her already so they weren’t reading her essay “blind”.
I’m sooooo hoping Stanford says “yes”. Fingers crossed for you.
The misspelling of Northwestern-- twice!-- may have been the tell. If you wrote the “Why Northwestern” essay and repeatedly misspelled the school’s name…well, that would speak volumes.
On the other hand, Michigan is one of the very best schools in the country, with some of the strongest alumni I’ve ever worked with (or hired). If you DO wind up there, OP, then you will have an extraordinary experience. Clearly, you are insanely accomplished and quite smart. Use your talents well…and move forward. You are one of the very, very lucky and privileged ones.
Ouch. Cut the kid a little slack. You have worked hard, and have tremendous stats/accomplishments as a result. This process is more brutal than many realize, especially for high stats kids. I personally hope you get to experience U of M. It is an awesome school. Best of luck where ever you wind up.
Oh! I have since read the OP’s subsequent posts that he did NOT misspell NU’s name in the application. So, you can ignore my comment about that. I reiterate my support for Michigan, which is one of the best in the country-- academics, alumni, experience and spirit all are top tier. You’ll be very, very successful.
@doschicos I have to agree with this. Sense of humor can also be quite regional. I have a friend who is a professior at a prestigious university in Ohio. He was raised and went to college in NY. For years, he complained that no one, including all of his students, got his jokes. I thought he was hillarious, but he would stand in front the class and get crickets – dead silence and incomprehension – in response to his humor. These were from very accomplished, brilliant students at a top university. His NY humor simply didn’t translate.
I don’t consider any school on the OP’s list better than Michigan. You hit the jackpot, OP. Go Blue!
Yes, this. Unless the English teacher also has substantial experience as a college admissions professional, the opinion of a HS English teacher is not helpful. The type of writing valued in a HS English class is very different from what is valued in a college essay. For the most part, HS English teachers are very formulaic.
This year has been a bloodbath. What a ridiculously dysfunctional college application system we have!
I don’t see it as more of a bloodbath than other recent years.