Only moderators and administrators give out merits. You can help them choose who gets the merits by hitting the "up-vote" arrow next to comments on the game pages.
I had a question, was this up-vote arrow removed?
And my second question is, (probably common sense) you gain merits by writing well-thought out comments on the Quick Feedback box right?
Yes the up-vote thing was removed but hey since then I have got 3 merits so it doesn't really affect your chances of a mod seeing your comment.
Yes merits can be for a game comment but can also be gained for winning a compeition (unless they have changes this). Obviously the comment has to be good long and constructive etc. This is very useful to help you plan them out.
