I'll tell you what graphics programming is. It's when you write something that makes your computer do things you never thought possible. When you get your newest game, you "oohhh" and "aaahhhh" the graphics that you have never seen before (remember when DooM came out?). Because even though all of programming is an art, graphics programming is one step further. It combines optimization skill, knowledge, and creativity to make something interesting and cool looking.

With newer faster computers out, you may wonder why graphics programming is so hard. It doesn't even take decent code to go fast. But then think about how when you pioneer a technique, the recognition you'll get. None of the Doom clones that came out after Doom made nearly as much money as the original. Being first has a lot of benefits, and the most common way of being first is to bring a technology that was thought of as too complex for modern technology into reality. This means SPEED!