Desktop apps on Windows 8 are everything you know about apps from Windows 7. Furthermore, Windows 8 brings a new type of apps - the Windows Store Apps
(WinRT apps) which are the ones run on fullscreen or snapped (term bit forced on 8.1) which use the WinRT API (XAML based, similar to WPF, brings new things, but doesn't have all WPF can offer; also you can use HTML + JavaScript for WinRT Apps)
Now, in VS 2013, if you want to create a desktop app - choose the templates related to WinForms or WPF (just like before). To create the Windows Store Apps, chose Windows Store
section of Templates, and then select your app template (Grid App, Blank App etc)
A desktop app will respond to touch gestures on a touch-screen based device because it will replace the cursor actions from the desktop. But for specialized gestures, I'd suggest the Windows Store Apps.
Summarized : Desktop Apps - everything is the same, just like Windows 7.
Windows 8 Apps - the Windows Store
apps developed with the WinRT API.