I'm playing Civ 6 now and starting to understand geopolitics a bit better, like why a powerful landlocked country would desperately want access to the sea all year round. Just wondering if any powerful people also play it, or is real life civ enough for them?
Edit: I'm specifically interested in civ-style computer games, Command and Conquer and similar also counts.
Secretary General of NATO and former PM of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg, was a big fan of RTS games. One of his favorite games was Red Alert, which was released in 1996, so it's reasonable to assume he played games 20 years ago (making this within the rules of this subreddit).
In an interview in 2008, he touches on what you ask:
JS: "All the games I play, like "Age of Empires" or "Medieval Total War" are fundamentally similar. You build a society, grow grains, open mines, trade connections and diplomacy."
Interviewer: "That's a bit like [being the PM]?"
JS: "Yes, very much! And there are budget restrictions. If you use too much money on the navy, there's less to farm the soil, and subsequently there is less food. So you have to decide to build riches and buy soldiers, or focus on conquering land and grow that way. There are many judgments to make and it's very demanding. The problem with these games are that they require an insane amount of time. The hours fly away."
While I'm not a historian, this seems to suggest that even world leaders that played games in the nineties can enjoy computer games, but like most adults in demanding jobs, other activities are often prioritized above gaming.