I've been unemployed and working on a game now for about 9-10 months, pretty much by myself. I'd like to go back to work for about 6 months so I can have more money to work on the game, and I'm trying to find contracts, but it's hard to find non-permanent jobs for someone of my experience level (3+ years). I may just have to take a permanent job, and maybe work there for a year instead of 6 months, but the question of why I've been gone from the workforce for so long can't really be answered honestly without disqualifying me. I've been working on a game this whole time, it's not finished, and I want to get back to it...  "Oh, so you're not going to stay with us? Bye!"

Leave out the "and I want to get back to it" part. Say that you were self-employed as a gamedev for a while, it didn't work out, so now you want to get back into the workforce.

If they're fair people, they'll understand. We have jobs and lives outside of gamedev, it happens, and they should understand that. Just be fair and honest about the job, and assure them that you want to continue doing the game with them.

In this industry there are many people who attempt to start their own projects and work on their own. 

State that you tried it, you learned a lot, and now you're excited to work on other projects.