How much of the NES's success was attributed to good timing, being released after the video game crash of 1983? Was it a sudden lack of competition that helped? Obviously the NES was a quality console the likes of which we hadn't seen before. I'm just glad Nintendo came with the NES when they did, rising out of the ashes of fallen gaming companies to save gaming.

E.T. 2

i doubt we would be anywhere.

prolly reading books, solving world hunger and cureing cancer

Because all of that was stunted by electronically interactive games.

Actually, Nintendo showing up right after the crash is what made things tougher for them. They were able to get into stores, which were very understandably worried about all the worthless gaming stuff they still had, only by offering to buy back any unsold product. Adding to this, the "seal of quality" was what was needed to convince stores to give the shelf space back to games.

As for where we would be if Nintendo hadn't done that, I really don't know. To my knowledge, Atari did not offer those assurances with the 7800, so it wouldn't have gotten anywhere. I don't know if Sega offered it for the Master System; if they did, they may very well have been in Nintendo's shoes today.

We would have been set back a while, but video games would eventually come back.
The world of technology evolves all the time.

The industry would have recovered somewhat, but narrative-driven gaming may never have existed.

Well, it shows Nintendo has been very savvy at business for a long time.

Believe it or not Nintendo has to thank Teddy Ruxbin for help getting it's NES in stores.
For those too young to know Teddy Ruxbin was very popular toy in the 80's that was a talking teddy bear that used cassette tapes.

Well while all the details escape me atm (tired and just got off work) In the book "Ultimate history of video games" Back then places like Sears were some of the biggest retailers and we didn't have Gamestops then. Well Sears refused to sell gaming systems since they felt it was a fad that was over and no money in it,however Teddy was huge and the makers of the toy for some reason refused to sell it to them unless they also agreed to sell this thing called the NES...so they agreed to sell it.
(Also was the reason Nintendo did not call it a gaming console and really pushed it as an entertainment system so they also included Rob the robot and the zapper and running pad and sold for 180$(I remember mine,I even got the grey zapper before toy guns had to be orange to look fake)