Why Java?
It's a soft and squishy language that provides a comfortable introduction to programming.
Why Java?
. In the software industy it is maily c#, c++ and java that are used, however in games it is mostly c++. At uni i did a unit in graphics and it is hard. Lost of maths involved. I good place to start is openGL. There are some really good tutorials here
I wouldn't recommend starting with Java; it makes for lazy programmers. Start with C, then move onto Java and learn to appreciate packages and use them sensibly.It's a soft and squishy language that provides a comfortable introduction to programming.
I wouldn't recommend starting with Java; it makes for lazy programmers. Start with C, then move onto Java and learn to appreciate packages and use them sensibly.

Well if we're talking game development across all platforms then DirectX doesn't matter that much. As long as you have some experience using APIs for 3D graphics hardware then that should be ok. After all DirectX is only useful for PCs and Xbox. I don't think it would particularly count against you if you knew a lot about OpenGL over DirectX.
OpenGL != DirectX
DirectX = OpenGL + OpenAL + OpenInput + + +...
