hdmi monitor blanks when starting some apps

[DJ Delorie]

I have multiple monitors on my system, one of which is HDMI (the rest
are DP or DVI).  It's not the main monitor.  When I start some apps
(esp games), the HDMI monitor blanks for a few seconds until the app's
window comes up (not full screen).

Is this a normal thing?  Can it be prevented?

Fedora 24
GTX980
nvidia drivers