Can Skyrim be played on a mac?

Yes, Skyrim will run on a MacBook Pro with Windows installed via BootCamp or a virtualization software such as Parallels or VMWare Fusion. Virtualization software, however, means simultaneously running Windows and its programs (such as Skyrim) at the same time as the Mac OS, which may result in poor performance during gameplay.

You can also run it through a Cider wrapper or WineSkin, however, that isn't as easy.

Using BootCamp (included with your Intel-based Mac) for Windows is the easiest method.