I own a boxed copy of the Johnny Castaway screensaver. I was wondering, can I add this item to the Moby DB or not?

I know one of the criteria to add an item is: "it must have gameplay otherwise it's not a game should not be added to the Moby db".

Any thoughts?

If it was released on a platform specific console, you actually might get away with it. *rolls eyes*
If not, every iota of common sense would dictate: "please don't."

On a more serious note, if there is a direct relation to a pre-existing game (preferably gameplay related). Yes.
Example: Speech Packs.

We can see why you would want to -- some of us would want you to also. But at this moment in time, if you submitted it, the submission would very likely be rejected on the grounds that "this is MobyGames, not MobySoftware".

If you like, you can test the waters -- prepare a submission, submit it every six months and see if eventually an approver lets it through.

Yes, that is really great advise if you want to become very disliked very fast. Oh, and absolutey you should not add a screensaver (if it does not have any gaming elements).

However, when you are in doubt if something has enough gaming elements or not, everything stands and falls with your description. Work out the aspects why it may qualify as game and concentrate on those. Approvers like this. And of course a high-quality game entry is always harder to reject that something half-assed. Of course it won't help you if the entry is obviously against the rules, but definitely if it is borderline.

While it's a charming little piece of software from the past, I think it doesn't belong here. From what I gather, you just watch the marooned fellow, no basic interaction.

It does have own memorial website. Maybe you should contact them to display your info?
http://www.gnudawn.co.uk/johnny/

What should get accepted is this link I've just submitted to "Family Fun Pack" entry (containing Johnny Castaway).

The idea is that even occasional instances of non-gaming software programmed and filled with art, music and writing by game company professionals whose CV is otherwise well represented here could be of some interest. Is a Leisure Suit Larry series complete without the Laffer Utilities? Can the history of Infocom be fully understood without Cornerstone? Why did Penguinsoft's text games distinguish themselves with their graphics?

Genre: screensaver? non-game?

"Family Fun Pack" is a compilation, wouldn't it be enough if we expanded Castaway's description there? "Laffer Utilities" is mentioned in Larry's series description - it could get expanded as well.

The history of companies and developers can be described in biographies and company overviews. There is no need to have non-game entries. We don't have a relevance criteria for games for a good reason. It would be borderline stupid to introduce one for software which simply does not belong here.

The only screensavers I can think of that can qualify as a game entry is AfterDark's You Bet Your Head module, which was an interactive trivia game (sort of a YDKJ precursor)

Retail screensavers were common in the early '90s (was a new market), just because Sierra did one doesn't mean it's more qualified as a game :)