sims 4 not starting - new macbook

hi everyone,

i have just recently purchased a new laptop and have just installed origin with the intent of playing the sims 4. origin works perfectly fine, i have all my packs downloaded, and i have tried to start the game multiple times with no success. i have just recently purchased a new macbook with the following specs:

macbook pro 13-inch, 2022

apple M2 chip

8GB memory (256GB storage)

macOS Ventura 13.5.2

when i tried to start the game, the EA folder appeared in my documents folder, but only shows the following folders/documents: ConfigOverride, saves, UserData.lock, UserSetting.ini

i have no idea what the problem could be, as everything in origin is new and updated, as is my new laptop. i have tried starting the game directly by selecting the Sims 4 app and through origin but nothing works. my menu bar will show "The Sims 4" as if it was running fine, but the game itself won't start and my screen goes back to origin. 

any help would be very, very much appreciated. i have played the sims on previous macbooks with no problem and am hoping i'm just missing something easy that can solve the issue!