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It's game on as 1980s make comeback

Step inside a Perth games room and you could be transported back to a bygone era.

The days when Friday nights were spent playing Space Invaders, lava lamps took pride of place on coffee tables and friendship bands were a status symbol.

The trends from the times of pixellated screens and joysticks are being brought back to homes by nostalgic children of the 1980s.

Stores from gaming to homewares are reporting a resurgence in trends from the 1980s and 1990s, including arcade games and Troll dolls.

Balls 'n' All Amusement Equipment owner Domenic Licastro said arcade games and pinball machines had been hot sellers.

"It's the biggest thing that's happened in the last three years," he said. "The arcade tables and all the classic 80s games - Space Invaders, Pac Man - they have come back to life big time," Mr Licastro said. "People want them for their kids because they're easy to play."

British lighting company Mathmos, which has experienced a resurgence in the popularity of its lava lamps in the 1990s, also reported an increase in WA sales.

For children, Loom Bands - plastic rings made into friendship bands - are a craze.