It's been quite awhile since I used it, admittedly, but I learned C# by first learning the
very basics. I believe I went through the w3schools tutorial. As I learned how the language worked and what each piece of code did, I tried little projects to test those skill in a practical settings.
For example, the very first thing I made using C# was a text rpg in the console. It let me figure out things like inputs, randomizing results of encounters, storing information that would be called upon later, etc. etc. As I got stuck in places, I looked up how to do the specifc thing I was trying to code, making sure I could breakdown what the code was doing.
Once I felt I had a handle on the basics, I upped the difficulty. Next, I made a fairly involved strategy game that was played on a grid similiar to chess. It was quite honestly crude, but the point was to challenge myself with something a
little outside my current capabilities, which it did.
I sometimes have the same difficulty with tutorials that you described. Not in a "I can't follow them" way, but in a "I learned no practical skills from this" way. Since I wanted the ability to make something from my own imagination rather than an exact blueprint, learning my tools first was a must. I actually learned html and css in the exact same way. My first layouts were used to learn exactly how the most common elements I saw on other pages worked, then once I had the basics down, I scrapped everything and tried to do something much more complicated than I was currently capable of. That's the exact layout that you see on my site today. I ended up pretty happy with it
So, generally speaking, my advice would be to aquaint yourself with your tools first, then see what you can make with them. Look up specific solutions to specific problems and learn how
those tools work too. Rinse and repeat until you can make the game that you really want.