A man plays a computer game at an internet cafe
IN PHOTO: A man plays a computer game at an internet cafe in Beijing May 9, 2014. As growing numbers of young people in China immerse themselves in the cyber world, spending hours playing games online, worried parents are increasingly turning to boot camps to crush addiction. Military-style boot camps, designed to wean young people off their addiction to the internet, number as many as 250 in China alone. Picture taken May 9, 2014. Reuters

In an announcement that many feel is a long time coming, EA has announced that "The Sims 4" is coming to Mac. The announcement came some time after the release of the "Outdoor Retreat" DLC that just came out for the game, which is priced at $19.99. The original "Sims 4" game for Windows was released way back in the September of 2014 to mixed reviews garnering an average score of 70 from Metacritic, with an astonishingly low user rating of 3.7 due to lack of content.

Many details about the game were revealed by the website Kotaku via an email exchange with EA games. One particularly enticing detail is that owners of the Microsoft version will get a digital copy of the Mac version for free, so those who have upgraded to Macs, but have no way of playing the game will be satisfied. The conversation also stated that the Mac version would be priced "similarly" to the PC version. Whether this indicates that it will be slightly cheaper or expensive remains unknown, as that is the only detail the company gave about the game's Mac price.

One detail not given was if the Mac version of "The Sims 4" would be able to cross play with the Windows version. This may frustrate many a gamer as one of the biggest appeals about a "Sims" game is the feeling of being in a community, sharing ridiculous stories and checking on your online neighbor's house designs. There is also no confirmation on whether fans will be able to share Sims with each other through the online community or if fans will be able to transfer their game progress from the PC version to the Mac version.

As far as release dates go "The Sims 4" Mac version is slated for a February 2015 release, though no definitive date was given. The Mac version of "Sims 4" is one that has been requested for a long period of time if Kotaku is to be believed and the initial news should make Macfans happy about being able to mess around with their Sims again.

The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat: Launch Trailer (Credits: Youtube/TheSims)

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