Even if you weren't interested in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it used to be a popular game that eventually taught you the story

When playing Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you'd end up reading the character biographies
and the scenario descriptions
and eventually, you'd even go watch the manga.
With games like Legend of the Three Kingdoms, Kongming Zhuan, or Cao Cao Zhuan, you'd learn the story as you played.
---------------------------------------------------
I think since these kinds of games have completely declined, only those who go out of their way to read them know the stories now.
Back in my day, martial arts novels were the same—only the kids who were into them knew about them. Most people had no idea.