Even though I think this discussion raises a very valid problem, it would be a great shame if a mature community like SDN has to implement a minimum word limit on comments. It will certainly put us in a place of ridicule in the history of community sites.
With tools from SAP at our disposal, we should be able to use real time analytics to put to shame the abusers or the point gamers. Like suggested by other users, fine tuning the rewards system may improve the community. It is a delicate balance between promoting participation and preventing abuse. Let us use the big data analytics to tweak the rewards based on data rather than intuition. It is time to quantify the abuse, make the change, track the progress and repeat.