What can I do with programming

I'm confused about what you can expect to do with programming languages after you learn them. Can someone run through some of the more popular programming languages and what they do?

I'd like to try to teach myself programming, and it'd be easier if I had an idea of what kinds of programming projects I can do in any given language so that I can design one and learn the language in hopes of implementing it.

For instance, in what language can I make simple games?  Where do more advanced graphics come in?

What's actually difference between C and C#?
And then C++ and C?

When I was 11 I actually learned C++ but i was just like "oh kay can do what you tell me to do" and forgot whole syntax
Now i know only Pascal, which allows me to improve in few competitions, but i would like to attend TopCoder... so C++, yeah