Here's a tl;dr of my Linux learning curve -- from 0 (Windows pleb) to hero:

Start with a "user-friendly" distro (Linux Mint, ZorinOS) and get used to its package manager (i.e How to install, uninstall and remove stuff. Also, your best friend.).

Then go for a more "serious" distro like Debian. And from Debian... Arch. Keep at it until you've got the most interesting commands (and "whom is whom" regarding video graphics, audio, etc... the "basic" stuff) written on your forehead.

After that, "duckduckgo" about "Minimal linux installation" or "Baremetal linux installation". Follow the instructions closely and at heart. PS: You are gonna suffer a bit.... but that is perfectly fine. Once again, you are gonna have to get used to it and to witness "your own distro" booting up for the first time. Yes, the nerdgasm feels quite great.

At this point, there is nothing "much" to learn other than to add more "depth" to the stuff you learned by "duckduckgo" about "Linux how do I improve my network", "Linux how to improve performance", etc until you are used to all that.

Now, you've reached the "average user" status and there is nothing "strictly necessary" to learn -- so start your own github, send your .dotfiles/scripts in, and go take a break. Congrats, you are now a penguin.

Opensuse tumbleweed, kde variant

Switch to zypper, dnf or rpm over flatpak in the kde store thing

Set up snapper or timeshift for backups

Get playonlinux and heroic launcher for gaming(with built in wine managers)

Check out peppermint OS. Runs on most hardware , lightweight and easy. Debian based , stable and got most things you might need. Easy transfer from Windows since a bit prepared for using web-based stuff

If you're not a techy person/power user, I would recommend staying with Kubuntu/Xubuntu (flavors of Ubuntu, that seem familiar to Windows users), or a more loved variant Linux Mint. You'll have everything you need there, and your gaming will do just fine using Steam thanks to Proton. My first time (~2014) I went with Ubuntu, since it has an easy to use installer (like most distributions), with relatively sane default settings. Nowadays I would recommend Linux Mint or anything Debian based for the stability.