Help for playing pc game over HDMI using TV as a monitor

So here is my issue. I have a decent gaming laptop, the Gateway FX P-7805u with an Nvidia 9800. I also have a Samsung plasma (PN58B860) with a Denon receiver in between. So I have hooked up my laptop to my tv over HDMI and so far, no problem. I can see my desktop fine, hear sound, surf the web and everything looks great. However, when I go to start up one of my pc games (with the intent of using my tv as a bigger screen), basically the computer goes crazy (i know, not really technically accurate) but basically freezes and starts blinking on and off to a black screen. Not really even sure where to start, I have changed the resolution on my computer with no improvement. Any suggestions or help would be great. Thanks.