No, they are just a high-award given to you by giving a sincere, thoughtful review on a game. They are worth 25 AP (Armor Points) and are very handy. Please see this page for more information on merits.
On each userpage, there is an area that numbers how many merits you have earned. Merits are earned by writing constuctive,original, and thoughtful comments in the Games section. We reward those who take the time to think out a good comment, as it contributes a lot to the website and sets a good example for others. The post does not have to be a book in length, but should be interesting enough to grab our attention. For each merit you recieve, you will earn 25 AP and your post will stand out. Only moderators and administrators give out merits. You can help us choose who gets the merits by hitting the "up-vote" arrow next to comments on the game pages.
Do not bug the moderators or admins to give you merits. They will most likely be sad for the rest of the day if you do.
These merits things and other threads that are useless need to stop. Seriously. It's annoying for mods and for active users to have to deal with this 5 times a day.